The Kennedy Thunderbirds's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight defeat. They were the victim of a tough 64-42 loss at the hands of McFarland. Kennedy was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as McFarland apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in January.
When it comes to explaining why Kennedy lost, one person who can't be blamed is Valeria Payan-Medina. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds. Payan-Medina is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kayleen Maes, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds.
Mia Samaniego continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for McFarland, scoring 29 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Samaniego has scored all season. Mari Gonzalez was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with six assists and three steals.
Kennedy has not been sharp recently as the team's lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-16 record this season. As for McFarland, their victory bumped their record up to 6-20.
Kennedy will be playing at home against Shafter at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Shafter is coming into the game with eight straight wins on the road, so Kennedy is out to stop a squad with plenty of momentum. As for McFarland, they will challenge Wasco at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Hopefully McFarland focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 11 on Thursday.
