The Verdugo Hills Dons will be taking part in a tournament against the Village Christian Crusaders at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Verdugo Hills is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.1 points per game this season.
Village Christian is hoping to do what Chatsworth couldn't last Saturday: put an end to Verdugo Hills' winning streak, which now stands at three games. Verdugo Hills had just enough and edged Chatsworth out 51-48. Given the Dons' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 253rd, while the Chancellors are ranked 610th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/14/24 vs Chatsworth | 20 |
| 12/12/24 vs Santa Paula | 28 |
| 12/10/24 vs Heritage Christian | 18 |
| 12/09/24 vs Pasadena | 20 |
| 12/05/24 vs Cleveland | 17 |
| 12/04/24 vs Golden Valley | 25 |
Verdugo Hills' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Amiyya Castanos, who went 6 of 9 en route to 20 points and six rebounds. Castanos' morning made it six games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rayleen Castanos, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 boards.
Verdugo Hills smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Village Christian posted their biggest win since January 30th on Saturday. They blew past Northview 57-27.
Village Christian's win came from a few key players Verdugo Hills will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Madison Mulligan, who went 7 of 10 on her way to 20 points. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games she's played. Another player making a difference was Maddy Boquiren, who posted 12 points and five rebounds.
Verdugo Hills has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. As for Village Christian, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Verdugo Hills has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Village Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Verdugo Hills took a serious blow against Village Christian in their previous matchup back in December of 2014, falling 59-31. Thankfully for Verdugo Hills, Micaela Cacho-Negrete (who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 22 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
