Even though the El Camino Wildcats scored an imposing 73 points on Saturday, the Monterey Trail Mustangs still came out on top. Monterey Trail had just enough and edged El Camino out 75-73. Given Monterey Trail's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while El Camino is ranked 201st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Monterey Trail got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kentrell Kelly out in front who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds. The game was Kelly's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brandon Gibson Jr, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
El Camino's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Isaiah Pomare, who scored 18 points. Brandon Boone was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
The victory makes it two in a row for Monterey Trail and bumps their season record up to 11-1. As for El Camino, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Monterey Trail and River City will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 3rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. El Camino will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on San Dieguito Academy at 7:00 p.m. on January 9th.
