Even though the Laguna Creek Cardinals scored an imposing 61 points on Friday, the Foothill Falcons still came out on top. Foothill snuck past Laguna Creek with a 66-61 win. Given Foothill's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked tenth in Nevada, while Laguna Creek is ranked 191st in California), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Foothill's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zak Abdalla, who scored 21 points. Another player making a difference was Christopher Natale jr, who scored 12 points.
Despite the loss, Laguna Creek saw an underclassman step up: Jaylan Virgil scored 26 points along with four steals. The match was Virgil's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Jalen Flenory was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Foothill is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. As for Laguna Creek, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-5.
Foothill and Dougherty Valley will face off at 6:30 p.m. on December 30, 2023 without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Dougherty Valley is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road. Laguna Creek and Desert Pines will face off at 3:20 p.m. on December 30, 2023 without much rest after finishing up games yesterday.
