Preview: Foothill Falcons vs. Liberty Patriots
Foothill is on a three-game streak of home wins, while the Patriots are on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Foothill Falcons will take on the Liberty Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Nevada (Foothill is ranked sixth, while the Patriots are ranked first).
Last Monday, everything went Foothill's way against the Trailblazers as the Falcons made off with a 61-37 victory. Foothill pushed the score to 57-26 by the end of the third, a deficit the Trailblazers cut but never quite recovered from.
Foothill can attribute much of their success to Christopher Natale jr, who scored 19 points along with three steals, and Zak Abdalla, who scored 20 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. It was the first time this season that Abdalla posted eight or more assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Shawn Salazar, who scored seven points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Liberty came up short against the Cougars on Monday and fell 60-49. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Liberty has scored all season.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Tyus Thomas, who scored 12 points. Another player making a difference was Tyler Bright, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Foothill has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. As for Liberty, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Foothill have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Foothill came up short against the Patriots in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 68-57. Will Foothill have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
