Preview: Escalon Cougars vs. Riverbank Bruins
Escalon and Riverbank are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Escalon Cougars' homestand continues as they prepare to take on the Riverbank Bruins at 7:00 p.m. on January 25th. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Escalon put the finishing touches on their 15th blowout victory of the season on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 54-30 margin over Hilmar. Given Escalon's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 163rd, while Hilmar is ranked 695th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Escalon's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Madison Babasa, who scored 13 points along with nine steals. Babasa has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. Sammy Lang was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Meanwhile, Riverbank came tearing into Tuesday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 52-35 victory over Hilmar.
Escalon's victory bumped their record up to 20-1. As for Riverbank, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season.
Escalon barely slipped by Riverbank when the teams last played on January 4th, winning 52-51. Will Escalon repeat their success, or does Riverbank have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
