Basketball Recap: Hesperia Christian Comes Up Short

If Hesperia Christian was riding high fresh off their 69-37 takedown of University Prep last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Hesperia Christian Patriots were beaten by the Silver Valley Trojans 69-27 on Friday. The match marked the Patriots' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Hesperia Christian's loss came despite strong showings from Jackson Lake and Ethan Flores. Lake posted eight points along with nine rebounds and three steals, while Flores scored eight points in addition to five boards and three steals. Lake has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last five times he's played. Roderick Taylor also deserves some recognition as he posted his first assist of the season.

Even though they lost, Hesperia Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in four consecutive games.

Silver Valley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Javion Taylor led the charge by going 8 of 15 en route to 17 points and seven boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Casen Mogan, who went 6 for 9 on his way to 16 points.

Hesperia Christian has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.5 points per game. As for Silver Valley, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-6.

Hesperia Christian didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 73-63 loss against Bethel Christian on the 13th. Silver Valley has also already played their next game, a 60-44 win against Twentynine Palms on the 13th.