Basketball Recap: Taft Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Mariella Harper and Taylor Olson

If Taft was feeling good fresh off their 68-24 takedown of Stevens last Wednesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Taft Raiders came up short against the Warren Warriors on Wednesday, falling 61-38. The Raiders haven't had much luck with the Warriors recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.

Taft's loss came despite strong showings from Taylor Olson and Mariella Harper. Olson posted ten points and five assists, while Harper had 11 points. That's the most assists Olson has posted since back in November of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaelyn Flemons, who scored five points and eight rebounds.

Even though they lost, Taft smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.

Aniyah Shields continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for Warren, going 8 for 11 on her way to 23 points in addition to seven boards and four steals. Shields continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. Destiny Hernandez was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Taft's loss dropped their record down to 10-21. As for Warren, they have been performing well recently as they've won 12 of their last 16 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 23-8 record this season.

Coincidentally, both will both be playing Sotomayor the next time they take the court. Taft will host Sotomayor at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, while Warren will head out to face them at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.