A well-balanced attack led Bakersfield over Independence in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. The Bakersfield Drillers strolled past the Independence Falcons with points to spare, taking the game 59-45. Given the Drillers' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 218th, while the Falcons are ranked 448th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Kade Johnson, who went 9 of 14 on his way to 21 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Darryll Cartwright, who went 5 for 7 en route to 13 points.
Bakersfield was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Independence only posted five assists.
Amarius Rowel and Xavier O'Neal certainly did their best on Thursday to avoid the loss. Rowel posted 19 points, while O'Neal had 12 points.
Bakersfield has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.5 points per game. As for Independence, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 13-9.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Bakersfield has already played their next contest (against Highland), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Independence will face off against Liberty at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Independence is facing Liberty at the right time seeing as Liberty is stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
