Basketball Preview: Futures Knights vs. Encina Bulldogs
The Futures Knights will head out on the road to take on the Encina Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Encina took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Futures, who comes in off a win.
Futures took a loss when they played away from home on December 13th, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 51-31 margin over Victory Christian. The victory was some much needed relief for the Knights as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
| 11/30/23 vs Western Sierra Collegiate Academy | 3 |
| 01/09/24 vs Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning | 3 |
| 01/04/24 @ Westlake Charter | 3 |
| 12/27/24 vs Victory Christian | 2 |
| 11/28/23 vs John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills | 2 |
Futures' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Emma Kharchenko led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and 14 boards. What's more, Kharchenko also racked up two blocks, the most she's had since back in January. Another player making a difference was Nikole Vinokurov, who dropped a double-double on 15 boards and ten steals.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Encina's good fortune finally ran out last Friday. They received a blow as they fell 43-28 to John Adams Academy Rsvl/Lin.
Futures will need focus on slowing down Khaliah McDonald, one of several Encina players who made an impact when they last played. She dropped a double-double on ten points and 18 rebounds. McDonald has been hot recently, having posted 18 or more boards the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Elise Brandon, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 boards.
Even though they lost, Encina smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 36 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.
Encina's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Futures, their win bumped their record up to 4-8.
Futures was able to grind out a solid victory over Encina in their previous matchup back in January, winning 41-28. The rematch might be a little tougher for Futures since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
