Basketball Game Preview: Escondido Cougars vs. Fallbrook Warriors

The Escondido Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the Fallbrook Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Fallbrook is hoping to do what Orange Glen couldn't on Friday: put an end to Escondido's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Everything went Escondido's way against Orange Glen as Escondido made off with a 63-41 win. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 568th, while the Patriots are ranked 1301st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Fallbrook, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 75-51 margin over Clairemont on Saturday.

Fallbrook's win came from a few key players Escondido will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Petey Pizzo, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 12 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Xavier Charland, who posted 22 points and three blocks.

Fallbrook smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive contests.

Escondido has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points per game. As for Fallbrook, their victory bumped their record up to 12-5.

Escondido was dealt a bruising 73-38 loss at the hands of Fallbrook in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Escondido avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.