Basketball Game Preview: Classical Academy Caimans vs. High Tech SD Storm

The Classical Academy Caimans will take on the High Tech SD Storm at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Classical Academy is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Valley Center on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. 2026 welcomed the Caimans with a 48-26 loss courtesy of the Jaguars. While losing is never fun, the Caimans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 962nd, while the Jaguars are ranked 400th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for High Tech SD, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They rang in the new year with a 42-34 win over Eastlake on Monday.

High Tech SD's win came from a few key players that Classical Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Poema Strong, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and ten rebounds. Another player making a difference was Aliya Khalighi, who posted 11 points in addition to seven boards and three steals.

High Tech SD was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2025.

Classical Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 3-7. As for High Tech SD, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-5 record this season.

Classical Academy came up short against High Tech SD in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 45-41. Can the Caimans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.