Basketball Recap: Sofia Gozzo Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Laguna Hills

vs

Previous Games

12/08/25 - Home	41-39 W
12/17/24 - Away	31-53 L
12/14/23 - Home	39-31 W
11/14/23 - Home	41-25 W
12/29/22 - Neutral	35-28 W
+ 5 more games

Mission Viejo took a 22-point loss the last time they faced off against Laguna Hills, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Diablos sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 41-39 win over the Hawks on Monday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Mission Viejo to victory, but perhaps none more so than Sofia Gozzo, who posted 16 points in addition to seven boards and six assists. That makes it four consecutive games in which Gozzo has scored at least a third of the Diablos' points. Another player making a difference was Maria Isabela Valencia, who put up four points along with 15 rebounds and four steals.

Mission Viejo smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 23 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Mission Viejo's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-7. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.67 points across that stretch. As for Laguna Hills, they now have a losing record of 2-3.

Coincidentally, Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills will both be playing Western the next time they take the court. The Diablos will head out to face the Pioneers at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, while the Hawks will head out to face them at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.