Basketball Game Preview: Rio Linda Knights vs. Natomas Nighthawks

Rio Linda is 3-0 against Natomas since December of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Rio Linda Knights will venture away from home to take on the Natomas Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. Rio Linda is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last eight games.

Rio Linda is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Dixon: they outscored them in every quarter. Rio Linda strolled past Dixon with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 52-33. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 271st, while the Rams are ranked 896th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

LaRay Mitchell continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 9 of 16 en route to 24 points and five steals. Her evening made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mariah Walton, who posted 13 points and five steals.

Rio Linda smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in eight consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Natomas narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past El Camino 40-38.

Rio Linda pushed their record up to 18-3 with the win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.2 points per game. As for Natomas, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season.

Rio Linda skirted past Natomas 45-43 in their previous matchup on January 7th. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rio Linda since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.