The Mission Oak Hawks came tearing into Thursday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by Tehachapi on the road to the tune of 63-24. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 41-9.
Mission Oak's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ristian Elzy led the charge by scoring 13 points. Another player making a difference was Daniel Gonzalez, who scored 11 points along with four steals.
When it comes to explaining why Tehachapi lost, one person who can't be blamed is Devin Jackson. Despite the final result, he scored eight points along with five rebounds and three blocks. Jackson has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last four times he's played.
The win got Mission Oak back to even at 7-7. As for Tehachapi, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-10 record this season.
Mission Oak won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Stockdale at 3:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Stockdale presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Mission Oak in California (Stockdale is ranked 455th, while Mission Oak is ranked 952nd). Tehachapi will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Mira Monte at 12:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023.