Basketball Game Preview: Pacifica Tritons vs. Sierra Pacific Golden Bears

Two dominant guards in Tommy Williams and Nevin Pitkin are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Pacifica Tritons and the Sierra Pacific Golden Bears will round out the year against one another at at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Pacifica took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They walked away with a 63-56 win over Rancho Mirage. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Tritons' disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 738th, while the Rattlers are ranked 203rd).

Pacifica's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Isaiah Dillon, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine assists. That's the most assists Dillon has posted since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Williams, who posted 21 points and three blocks.

Meanwhile, Sierra Pacific managed to keep up with Lemoore until halftime on Thursday, but things quickly went downhill from there. Sierra Pacific came up short against Lemoore, falling 78-56.

Pacifica will have to keep a close watch on Colin Dodd and Pitkin, a pair of players who had a big impact on Sierra Pacific's prior game. Dodd put up 21 points and seven rebounds, while Pitkin had 16 points. Pitkin is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Owen Parry, who posted six points.

Pacifica's win ended an 11-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 6-5. As for Sierra Pacific, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Pacifica has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 22.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sierra Pacific struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.