The Independence 76ers were the 58-31 winner over the Cupertino Pioneers when they last played one another back in December of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Independence received a tough blow on Friday as they fell 48-31 to Cupertino. While losing is never fun, Independence can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1027th, while Cupertino is ranked 73rd).
Several 76ers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Joshua Villanueva, who scored ten points. The match was Villanueva's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Ethan Gualberto was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Cupertino can attribute much of their success to Justin Yu, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 20 points and 2 assists. Those 20 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Max Lin, who scored eight points.
Independence's loss dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Cupertino, the victory for they keeps them at an undefeated 9-0.
Independence and Los Altos will face off at 6:30 p.m. on December 16th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Los Altos is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road. Cupertino won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Fremont at 8:00 p.m. on December 16th.
