The Merced Bears will take on the Lodi Flames at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Thursday, Merced strolled past Golden Valley with points to spare, taking the game 46-29. The win continues a trend for the Bears in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won four in a row.
Averie Steverson
| 02/13/25 vs Golden Valley | 4 |
| 02/11/25 vs Atwater | 3 |
| 02/04/25 @ Los Banos | 3 |
| 01/30/25 vs El Capitan | 1 |
| 01/23/25 @ Atwater | 2 |
| + 14 more games |
Merced found their leader in sophomore Averie Steverson, who dropped a double-double with 20 points and 12 boards. With that strong performance, Steverson is now averaging an impressive 2 blocks per game. Aliyah Solis was another key player, putting up eight points and four steals.
Merced smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lodi didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Kimball on Thursday, but they still walked away with a 43-38 victory.
Lodi found their leader in freshman Lillie Bayless, who posted 14 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Sienna Aitken, who scored six points and seven boards.
Lodi's win bumped their record up to 13-14. As for Merced, their victory bumped their record up to 16-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Merced has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lodi struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Merced came up short against Lodi in their previous matchup back in December of 2018, falling 49-38. Thankfully for Merced, Ellie Van Tassel (who dropped a double-double with 19 points and 13 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.
