The Santa Ynez Pirates's game last Tuesday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Friday. They took down Valley Christian Academy 47-30. Given Santa Ynez's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 431st, while Valley Christian Academy is ranked 1021st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Santa Ynez was led to victory by Jay Bradford and Helina Pecile. Bradford dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Pecile dropped a double-double on 11 points and 14 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Keegan Withrow, who scored four points.
Several Lions players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Elle Mason, who scored six points along with six rebounds and four steals. Those four steals set a new season-high mark for her. Carissa Maples was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds.
Santa Ynez's victory bumped their record up to 7-4. As for Valley Christian Academy, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-7.
Santa Ynez's road trip will continue as they head out to face Strathmore at 7:00 p.m. on December 27, 2023. Strathmore will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak. Valley Christian Academy will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Coastal Christian at 5:00 p.m. on January 12th.
