Basketball Game Preview: Turlock Bulldogs vs. Atwater Falcons

Turlock and Atwater are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. Both will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Turlock's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three matchups.

Last Tuesday, Turlock was able to grind out a solid victory over Pleasant Grove, taking the game 60-51.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Atwater beat Escalon 54-48 on Wednesday. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 113th, while the Cougars are ranked 449th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Turlock's win bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Atwater, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.

Turlock beat Atwater 78-71 when the teams last played back in November of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Turlock since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.