Basketball Game Preview: Pioneer Patriots vs. Vacaville Bulldogs

The Pioneer Patriots will face off against the Vacaville Bulldogs at 7:03 p.m. on Thursday. Pioneer will be strutting in after a win while Vacaville will be coming in after a loss.

If Pioneer beats Vacaville with 44 points on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Pioneer secured a 44-40 W over River City on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Patriots.

Peyton Thorpe was nothing short of spectacular: she dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Naomi Navarro, who posted eight points along with eight steals and seven boards.

Pioneer smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Vacaville was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They came up short against Rodriguez, falling 68-43.

Pioneer will need focus on slowing down Gianna L?pez, one of several Vacaville players who made an impact when they last played. She put up 14 points. Lula Kifle was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Pioneer's victory bumped their record up to 6-10. As for Vacaville, their loss dropped their record down to 5-9.

Pioneer beat Vacaville 61-50 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Will Pioneer repeat their success, or does Vacaville have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.