Basketball Game Preview: Rio Linda Knights vs. Natomas Nighthawks

The Rio Linda Knights will challenge the Natomas Nighthawks at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Rio Linda has struggled recently with eight losses in a row, while Natomas will arrive with four straight wins.

Last Tuesday, Rio Linda was beaten by Dixon 72-41.

Meanwhile, Natomas earned a 47-36 victory over El Camino on Tuesday. The 47-point effort marked the Nighthawks' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Rio Linda better keep an eye on Manno Jenkins. He was instrumental in Natomas' win, putting up nine points along with six assists and six boards. Jenkins is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Kanye Lewis, who posted nine points in addition to six rebounds and four blocks.

Natomas smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in six consecutive contests.

Natomas has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.2 points per game. As for Rio Linda, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-18.

Rio Linda was dealt a bruising 90-44 loss at the hands of Natomas in their previous matchup on January 7th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Jenkins, who went 6 for 11 en route to 15 points along with eight assists and eight boards. Now that Rio Linda knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.