Having just played yesterday, the Yucaipa Thunderbirds will get right back to it and host the Victor Valley Jackrabbits at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
On Thursday, Yucaipa earned a 58-47 win over Citrus Valley. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 249th, while the Blackhawks are ranked 616th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/19/24 vs Citrus Valley | 16 |
| 12/16/24 vs Summit | 15 |
| 12/13/24 @ Diamond Bar | 19 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Yucaipa to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jaxon Lerma, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards. Lerma's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Malik Young, who posted 13 points in addition to eight rebounds and five assists.
Yucaipa smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Victor Valley). They walked away with a 78-67 victory over Apple Valley last Tuesday.
Victor Valley's win came from a few key players Yucaipa will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was IASIAH BUTLER, who went 9 of 16 on his way to 23 points. The team also got some help courtesy of KEVEN WALLACE, who went 7 of 13 on his way to 20 points.
Yucaipa has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.3 points per game. As for Victor Valley, their win bumped their record up to 5-7.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Yucaipa and Victor Valley are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Yucaipa hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 62.3 points per game. However, it's not like Victor Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 58.7 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Yucaipa couldn't quite finish off Victor Valley when the teams last played back in December of 2023 and fell 54-51. Will Yucaipa have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
