Basketball Game Preview: Escondido Charter Tigers vs. Maranatha Christian Eagles

Escondido Charter and Maranatha Christian are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2019, but not for long. The Escondido Charter Tigers will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Maranatha Christian Eagles at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Escondido Charter turned things around against Fallbrook on Wednesday. They blew past the Warriors 78-43. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Tigers have posted since November 23, 2024.

Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Maranatha Christian faced off against San Pasqual on Tuesday. Maranatha Christian put the hurt on San Pasqual with a sharp 67-41 win. With the Eagles ahead 40-18 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Maranatha Christian's win came from a few key players Escondido Charter will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Adrian Ownbey, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in boards. Shane Piester was another key player, dropping a double-double on 14 points and 11 boards.

Maranatha Christian was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as San Pasqual only racked up nine assists.

Escondido Charter's victory bumped their record up to 6-11. As for Maranatha Christian, their win bumped their record up to 10-7.

Escondido Charter strolled past Maranatha Christian when the teams last played back in January of 2024 by a score of 67-52. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ownbey, who went 9 of 16 on his way to 25 points along with five boards and four steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Escondido Charter still be able to contain Ownbey? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.