The North Hollywood Huskies's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight defeat. They received a tough blow as they fell 71-55 to Verdugo Hills. While losing is never fun, North Hollywood can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 842nd, while Verdugo Hills is ranked 368th).
Jayson Cooper and Lucas Gonzales certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Cooper dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Gonzales scored 17 points along with six rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gonzales has scored all season. Alexander Espinoza was another key contributor, scoring six points along with four steals.
North Hollywood's lineup was just a bit different on Friday as Gonzales got a bit more time on the court (27 vs. his season average of 13.75). Gonzales made the most of the opportunity, scoring 17 points along with six rebounds and two steals. A few more games like that and he might be seeing even more time going forward.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Verdugo Hills to victory, but perhaps none more so than Alexander Martinez, who scored 22 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Martinez has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Georges Abdulnour, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds.
North Hollywood dropped their record down to 9-19 with that loss, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Verdugo Hills, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-11 record this season.
North Hollywood will head out on the road to square off against Roosevelt at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. North Hollywood is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 54 points per game this season. As for Verdugo Hills, they will be playing at home against Dorsey at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Verdugo Hills knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past 15 matchups -- so hopefully Dorsey likes a good challenge.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
