If Merced was riding high fresh off their 76-43 takedown of Buhach Colony on Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Bears took a 55-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Atwater Falcons on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Falcons this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 57-41 back in January.
When it comes to explaining why Merced lost, don't look at Averie Steverson. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. That was a full 37% of the Bears' points, marking the third time in a row Steverson has posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Antonia Lejarde, who had four points along with six boards and four steals.
Atwater's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Isabella Villa, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Villa is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as she's posted one of at least 50% in the last five games she's played. Natalia Melgoza was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with 11 points and nine steals.
Merced has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 17-9 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.3 points over those games. As for Atwater, their win bumped their record up to 16-10.
Merced has already played their next contest, a 65-50 victory against Golden Valley on the 12th. As for Atwater, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 70-31 win against Buhach Colony on the 12th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
