The Santana Sultans's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight defeat. They took a 71-66 hit to the loss column at the hands of El Cajon Valley. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Several Sultans players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Dain Diaz, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeffrey Van Oostende, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds.
Santana's loss was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 9-17. As for El Cajon Valley, their win bumped their record up to 14-12.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Santana will take on the Matadors at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mount Miguel presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than the Sultans in California (the Matadors are ranked 441st, while the Sultans are ranked 1016th). As for El Cajon Valley, they will head out on the road to challenge the Monarchs at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
