Basketball Game Preview: Sierra Linda Bulldogs vs. Buckeye Hawks

After both having extra time off, the Sierra Linda Bulldogs and the Buckeye Hawks will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Sierra Linda has three straight wins, Buckeye has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Two weeks ago, Sierra Linda earned a 38-31 victory over Copper Canyon.

Mariana Mathis and Aymee Medina were among the main playmakers for Sierra Linda as the former posted 13 points and the latter dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. The dominant performance gave Medina a new career-high in boards. Sophya Goire was another key player, putting up seven points.

Meanwhile, Buckeye came up short against Paramount last Saturday and fell 51-41.

Sierra Linda will have to keep a close watch on Amayah Leyva and Kiria Avila Escarcega, a pair of players who had a big impact on Buckeye's prior game. Leyva went 6 of 13 on her way to 15 points, while Avila Escarcega had 14 points and eight rebounds. Avila Escarcega has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last five times she's played.

Buckeye now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Sierra Linda, they now have a winning record of 4-3.

Sierra Linda didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Buckeye in their previous matchup back in February of 2016, but they still walked away with a 43-38 win. Will Sierra Linda repeat their success, or does Buckeye have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.