Basketball Game Preview: Monterey Dores vs. Salinas Cowboys

Monterey hasn't had much luck against Salinas recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Monterey Dores are taking a road trip to take on the Salinas Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Monterey will head into Tuesday's matchup on the come-up: they were handed a 30-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Soledad, sneaking past 53-51. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Dores have posted since February 16, 2024.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Salinas). They claimed a resounding 74-38 victory over Everett Alvarez. With the Cowboys ahead 32-12 at the half, the game was all but over already.

Monterey better keep an eye on Jennifer Rivera. She was instrumental in Salinas' win, putting up 18 points. Those 18 points gave Rivera a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Alissa Escutia, who posted 11 points.

Salinas has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 11-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.3 points per game. As for Monterey, their record is now 5-11.

Monterey came up short against Salinas in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 41-37. Can Monterey avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.