The Winning Streak Continues
By William Hodges

The Sacramento Monarchs and their fans have reason to smile. Winning seven out of your last nine games and five straight overall is music to the ears. The Monarchs notched yet another win Tuesday night with a balanced offensive attack and a solid veteran performance from Ruthie Bolton.

Certainly there have been plenty of games in the past to watch Bolton shine. Special players have the rare ability to rise to the occasion and take it to another level. Such was the case against the Indiana Fever, as Bolton posted a team-high 21 points, five assists and five rebounds off the bench.

The post tandem of Yolanda Griffith and Tangela Smith was overpowering once again as Griffith posted 18 points and three rebounds and Smith tallied 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Smith has now scored in double figures in 19 consecutive games.

Ticha Penicheiro played well also, dishing out a season-high 13 assists, which was only three shy of tying her career mark (16). More importantly, Penicheiro only turned the ball over two times in 40 minutes of action.

Tamika Catchings recorded a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Fever. Olympia Scott-Richardson had a solid game posting 15 points and eight rebounds. The Fever outrebounded Sacramento 22-30 and had 14 second chance points compared to the Monarchs three.

Sacramento will have a chance to move their winning streak to six, when they host the Utah Starzz this Thursday, August 1 at 7 p.m. The home stand will continue Saturday, August 3 as the first place Los Angeles Sparks come to town.

The Sparks vs. Monarchs game will be nationally televised on NBC starting at 1 p.m. PDT. For those fans that are bobblehead collectors, the Ticha Penicheiro bobblehead will be distributed to the first 5,000 fans in attendance. So come out early, get your Penicheiro bobblehead, and enjoy an afternoon of fun and excitement with the Sacramento Monarchs.