Basketball Recap: Bakersfield Piles Up the Points Against Monache

Drillers

Margin (Wins)

11/21/24 vs Tehachapi	61
01/10/25 vs Monache	49
01/09/25 @ Highland	37
11/23/24 vs Garces Memorial	33
12/11/24 vs McFarland	33
01/07/25 vs Edison	26

You can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Bakersfield's strategy against Monache on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Bakersfield Drillers blew the Monache Marauders out of the water with an 81-32 final score. The Drillers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 26 points or more this season.

Bakersfield was led to victory by Keshawn Black and Kade Johnson. Black dropped a double-double on 26 points and 19 rebounds, while Johnson went 10 for 16 en route to 21 points along with six boards and six steals. Black is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Rashaan Shehee, who posted two points in addition to 15 assists and seven steals.

Bakersfield was working as a unit and finished the game with 25 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

When it comes to explaining why Monache lost, don't look at Ty Baxter. Despite the final result, he went 9 of 16 on his way to 23 points. The contest was Baxter's third in a row with at least ten points.

The win was the third in a row for Bakersfield, bringing their record for this year to 13-6. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 37.3 points. As for Monache, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-9 record this season.

Bakersfield wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, an 80-78 victory against Centennial on the 14th. As for Monache, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 75-37 win against Mt. Whitney on the 15th.