Basketball Game Preview: Sierra Vista Dons vs. Santa Fe Chiefs

The Sierra Vista Dons will face off against the Santa Fe Chiefs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Sierra Vista took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 46-23 margin over Bell Gardens.

Sierra Vista relied on the efforts of Zaira Eulloque, who posted 15 points along with six rebounds and three steals, and Cailei Buna, who earned 18 points in addition to six assists and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Buna has scored at least a third of Sierra Vista's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Katelyn Haro, who had four points along with ten boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 70-13 victory over Montebello. While the Chiefs didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Santa Fe found their leader in sophomore Roxy Beltran, who went 8 of 9 on her way to 18 points in addition to seven steals and six assists. The dominant performance gave Beltran a new career-high in assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Abigail Cetina, who put up nine points and four steals.

Sierra Vista's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-4. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.8 points per game. As for Santa Fe, their victory bumped their record up to 8-0.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sierra Vista has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Santa Fe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.