Basketball Recap: Maci Caraway's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton over Sandoval

Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton lost against Sandoval back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton took a 50-42 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Sandoval Blackhawks. Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton's loss continues a trend for the squad, making it five in a row.

Several Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Maci Caraway, who posted 13 points in addition to five boards and three steals. Those 13 points gave Caraway a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ashlyn Stayton, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Sandoval to victory, but perhaps none more so than Amiya Ray, who went 8 of 15 on her way to 17 points. Ray is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last five games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jenna Howell, who put up eight points and three steals.

Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton's defeat dropped their record down to 3-12. As for Sandoval, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season.

Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Shawnee at 5:00 p.m. on January 9th. Shawnee will roll in looking for their ninth straight win, something Elverado/Zeigler-Royalton surely won't give up without a fight. As for Sandoval, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 40-38 defeat against East Alton-Wood River on the 30th.