Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 19 to ten on the offensive boards, a fact the Leigh Longhorns proved on Friday. They walked away with a 49-36 win over Independence. Given Leigh's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 421st, while Independence is ranked 919th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leigh's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Marko Miocinovic, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Cooper Smith, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Independence still got an impressive performance from William Chattmon, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Chattmon scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Joshua Villanueva, who scored seven points.
Leigh is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. As for Independence, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-11.
Leigh on the road again on Saturday and play against Lynbrook at 3:00 p.m. on January 13th. As for Independence, they will face off against Monta Vista at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.
