The Redlands East Valley Wildcats entered their tilt with the Yucaipa Thunderbirds with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. Redlands East Valley skirted past the Thunderbirds 53-51. Given Redlands East Valley's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 254th, while the Thunderbirds are ranked 609th), the result on Wednesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Redlands East Valley's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Caio Da Silva, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeremiah Ivens, who scored 15 points along with six steals.
When it comes to explaining why Yucaipa lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jaxon Lerma. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 14 points and 15 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Lerma has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jonathan Campbell, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 13 rebounds.
Redlands East Valley is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a massive bump to their 17-7 record this season. As for Yucaipa, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-14.
Redlands East Valley will head out on the road to face off against the Cougars at 6:45 p.m. on Friday. Beaumont is on a three-game streak of home wins, the Wildcats a four-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court. Yucaipa will take on the Terriers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
