Basketball Preview: Wasco Tigers vs. Taft Wildcats
Wasco has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Taft Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Thursday, Wasco was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 44-43 to the Tigers.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Camila Almanza, who scored 14 points along with six steals. Karly Perez was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Taft came up short against the Titans on Thursday and fell 52-41. Taft has not had much luck with the Titans recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite the loss, Taft got a solid performance out of Shelby Gregory, who scored 22 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gregory has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Alaysia Taylor, who scored seven points along with three steals and two blocks.
Wasco has traveled a rocky road recently having lost ten of their last 11 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-20 record this season. As for Taft, their loss dropped their record down to 9-14.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Wasco have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Wasco lost to the Wildcats on the road by a decisive 62-48 margin when the teams last played back in January. Can Wasco avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
