Venture Academy and Natomas squared off in some playoff action on Monday, but Venture Academy had to settle for second. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 51-50 to the Natomas Nighthawks. The Mustangs lost against the Nighthawks in their previous head to head back in December of 2021, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 46-22 score last time.
Kelyiana Neal
| 02/17/25 @ Natomas | 8 |
| 02/13/25 vs Aspire Langston Hughes Academy | 6 |
| 02/11/25 @ Turlock Christian | 8 |
| 02/06/25 vs Ben Holt College Prep Academy | 6 |
| 02/04/25 vs River Islands | 6 |
| + 10 more games |
Several Mustangs players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Kelyiana Neal, who shot 4-for-6 from deep and dropped a double-double with 14 points and ten boards. Neal has been hot for a while, having also posted three or more steals the last 15 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Sarah Wegner, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Venture Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive matchups.
Natomas found their leader in sophomore Ana Elkins, who posted 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Nevaeha Wright, who scored 12 points.
Venture Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 15-9. As for Natomas, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 16-12 record this season.
Venture Academy does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Natomas, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 68-33 loss against Liberty Ranch on the 18th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
