The Santa Fe Indians lost against the La Porte Bulldogs back in December of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. Santa Fe fell 60-53 to La Porte. While losing is never fun, Santa Fe can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 729th, while La Porte is ranked 311th).
Santa Fe's loss came despite strong showings from Kaidan Mata and Kenny Torres. Mata went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 23 points and 2 assists, while Torres scored seven points along with 11 rebounds and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Mata has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Aidan Jewell, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
La Porte was led to victory by Phillip Ned and Matthew Williams. Ned scored 18 points along with three steals, while Williams scored 16 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Ned is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Trent Callies was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with three steals.
Santa Fe has not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-16 record this season. As for La Porte, their win bumped their record up to 18-12.
Santa Fe will head out on the road to take on Ball at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Ball's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while Santa Fe has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road. La Porte will take on Texas City at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
