Basketball Recap: Violet Cantrell's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Victory Christian over Encina

Victory Christian lost against Encina back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. The Victory Christian Vikings took a 36-25 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Encina Bulldogs. While the Vikings didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Bulldogs 10-2 in the first quarter.

Victory Christian's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Violet Cantrell, who posted ten points. That's the most points Cantrell has posted since back in November of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaclyn Bacchi, who had nine points.

Encina was led to victory by Elise Brandon and Khaliah McDonald. Brandon dropped a double-double on 20 points and 16 boards, while McDonald dropped a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds. Brandon is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Zola Wilson, who put up three points and five steals.

Victory Christian has been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-11 record this season. As for Encina, with the victory, they broke their six-game losing streak and moved their record to 5-8.

Victory Christian didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 47-40 loss against Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy on the 22nd. Encina has also already played their next match, a 34-30 defeat against Chesterton Academy of Sacramento on the 22nd.