The Sparks Railroaders lost against the South Tahoe Vikings back in February of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Sparks lost to South Tahoe on the road by a decisive 62-44 margin. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Sparks in their matchups with South Tahoe: they've now lost four in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Sparks lost, one person who can't be blamed is Adrian Banuelos Puga. Despite the final result, he scored 21 points along with five rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Banuelos Puga has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaoquin Tagulao, who scored 14 points along with three steals.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead South Tahoe to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ryder Tannaci, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Tannaci hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. Kai McClain was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with two steals.
Sparks has not been sharp recently, as they've lost 11 of their last 12 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-15 record this season. As for South Tahoe, their win bumped their record up to 7-10.
Sparks' road trip will continue as they head out to face Wooster at 7:30 p.m. on January 24th. Hopefully Wooster focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 17 on Friday. As for South Tahoe, their homestand continues as they prepare to take on Truckee at 6:30 p.m. on January 24th.
