Two dominant guards in Jalen Williams and Patrick O'Brien are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The San Marcos Knights will welcome the Cathedral Catholic Dons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in San Marcos' favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 12 matches.
Last Thursday, San Marcos was able to grind out a solid win over Mission Hills, taking the game 62-55. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while the Grizzlies are ranked 162nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Williams was his usual excellent self, going 5-for-12 to rack up 16 points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Richie Ramirez, who went 6-for-12 en route to 13 points and six boards.
Meanwhile, Cathedral Catholic had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three last Thursday. They came within a single point of losing the streak, but they secured a 75-74 W against the Eagles.
Cathedral Catholic's win came from a few key players San Marcos will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Steven Evans-Glynn, who went 8-for-10 on his way to 20 points and four steals. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in field goal percentage (80%). PJ Jourdain was another key player, going 6-for-7 to rack up 19 points along with seven assists and five rebounds.
San Marcos pushed their record up to 25-3 with the victory, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.2 points over those games. As for Cathedral Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 19-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: San Marcos has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Cathedral Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
San Marcos was able to grind out a solid victory over Cathedral Catholic in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, winning 71-64. Does San Marcos have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cathedral Catholic turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
