The Taft Wildcats struggled with offensive rebounds on Thursday (the Chavez Titans had 16 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Taft took a 52-41 hit to the loss column at the hands of Chavez. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Taft in their matchups with Chavez: they've now lost three in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Taft lost, one person who can't be blamed is Shelby Gregory. Despite the final result, she scored 22 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gregory has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Alaysia Taylor, who scored seven points along with three steals and two blocks.
Leading Chavez to victory were Alyssa Ramos and Hannah Diaz. Ramos scored eight points along with nine rebounds, while Diaz scored 18 points along with six rebounds. Diaz hasn't dropped below 15 points for five straight games. Emma Robles was another key contributor, scoring six points.
Taft's defeat dropped their record down to 9-14. As for Chavez, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 12-9.
Taft will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Wasco at 6:30 p.m. Hopefully Taft focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Thursday. As for Chavez, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Kennedy at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Kennedy is coming into the matchup with five straight losses on the road, meaning Chavez will have to defend against a squad hungry for a win.
