Basketball Game Preview: Trabuco Hills Mustangs vs. Heritage Patriots

The Trabuco Hills Mustangs and the Heritage Patriots will round out the year against one another at at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Trabuco Hills will be strutting in after a win while Heritage will be coming in after a loss.

Last Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Trabuco Hills beat Laguna Beach 49-43. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 188th, while the Breakers are ranked 383rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Heritage was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were two points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 51-49 heartbreaker at the hands of Freedom.

Trabuco Hills will have to keep a close watch on Gelenna Smithers and Lily Wilright, a pair of players who had a big impact on Heritage's prior game. Smithers posted 12 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals, while Wilright had eight points and 12 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Heritage smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive games.

The victory made it two in a row for Trabuco Hills and bumps their season record up to 12-3. As for Heritage, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 2-5.