The Los Banos Tigers varsity basketball team has struggled through 10 games this season. After having a great season last year with a total record of 19-7, the Tigers have taken a step back this year. In league last year, the Tigers finished with a record of 10-4, dropping only 1 loss to Mountain House, 1 loss to Ceres, and 2 losses to Lathrop. Currently the Tigers are 4-6 in league and look to fight hard and hope to have a shot at playoffs.
The Tigers had a very slow start to the season. They dropped very disappointing games to Johansen and Lathrop with a score of 70-35 Johansen and a score of 71-31 Lathrop. On the upside, the Tigers have shown many signs of potential. They have improved as a team since the start of the season. On January 26th, 2024, the Tigers came in hot and ready to go on Johansen’s Homecoming and defeated them 78-62. They currently are on a two game win streak and have a record of 4-6.
With only four games left, the Tigers need to win at least three out of these next four games. They will play two home and two away. They will face Mountain House, Ceres, Pacheco, and Lathrop. If both Beyer and Lathrop lose these next couple of games, the Tigers can still sneak their way into the playoffs. Only the top three teams in the league can make the playoffs. Evan Rebosa (12) said “We need to lock ourselves in and give it our all during practice if we want to have any shot at playoffs.”
The leading scorers for the Tigers are Caleb Robertson (12) averaging 17.5 points per game, Eric Ramos (10) averaging 13 points per game, and Yahir Zuniga (11) averaging 12.5 points per game. Robertson has had a very impressive season and has been a huge factor to all of their wins. In order to win, everyone needs to step up.
The Tigers hosted the Mountain House Mustangs for the second meeting of the season for their homecoming game on Wednesday January 31st. They battled their hardest and kept it a game until the fourth quarter. Zuniga finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds and Robertson finished with 16 points and 5 assists. The Tigers got outmatched and the Mustangs gave the Tigers their seventh league loss. The Tigers will visit the Ceres Bulldogs for their senior night game on Friday, February 2nd.
