Kennedy is 0-10 against Taft since January of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Kennedy Thunderbirds will head out on the road to challenge the Taft Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in California (Kennedy is ranked 966th, while Taft is ranked 959th).
On Thursday, Kennedy came up short against Chavez and fell 56-47. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Kennedy in their matchups with Chavez: they've now lost six in a row.
Kennedy's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Valeria Payan-Medina, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Kayleen Maes who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Payan-Medina has scored all season. Imaree Curry was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with eight rebounds.
Taft fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back victories it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They came out on top against Delano by a score of 40-28 on Thursday.
Taft's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Alaysia Taylor, who scored eight points along with ten rebounds and two steals. Taylor has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Taira Leota, who scored nine points along with 15 rebounds and two steals.
Kennedy has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-11 record this season. As for Taft, their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-12.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Kennedy have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 31.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Kennedy came up short against Taft in their previous meeting on January 3rd, falling 38-33. Can Kennedy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
