Basketball Recap: Leland Comes Up Short

Leland was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 59-55 heartbreaker at the hands of the Christopher Cougars. While losing is never fun, the Chargers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 809th, while the Cougars are ranked 172nd).

When it comes to explaining why Leland lost, don't look at Diya Boyapati. Despite the final result, she went 10 of 19 en route to 24 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. Those 24 points gave Boyapati a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Saanvi Gunukula, who posted 11 points and seven steals.

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

Leland's loss dropped their record down to 4-13. As for Christopher, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 13-3.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Leland will take on Evergreen Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Leland has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. Christopher has already played their next matchup (against Branham), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.