The Whittell Warriors's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight loss. They were outmatched by Excel Christian on the road and fell 54-14. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Whittell has scored all season.
Whittell's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Zander Lezama-Demazo, who scored seven points along with 11 rebounds and six blocks, and Alex Rvovic who scored five points along with eight rebounds and three steals. That was a full 35.7% of Whittell's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Excel Christian was led to victory by Jonah Calderas and Mark Doerfler. Calderas scored 19 points along with five rebounds and four steals, while Doerfler scored 14 points along with five rebounds and three blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Calderas has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cole Gassen, who scored six points along with nine rebounds.
Whittell's defeat was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 1-9. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 24.9 points per game. As for Excel Christian, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Whittell will head out on the road to challenge Coleville at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in their respective states (Coleville is ranked 115th in California, while Whittell is ranked 117th in Nevada). Excel Christian won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Mineral County at 2:00 p.m. on January 13th. Mineral County will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
