Basketball Game Preview: Buena Park Coyotes vs. Santa Ana Saints

The Buena Park Coyotes are taking a road trip to square off against the Santa Ana Saints at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

Last Wednesday, Buena Park lost to Marquez on the road by a 69-50 margin.

Buena Park's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ernesto Portas, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine boards, and Zyaire Eastland, who posted 17 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Liam Gallego was another key player, putting up four points in addition to five assists and five rebounds.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Buena Park was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since the start of last season.

Meanwhile, Santa Ana had to endure a nine-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 59-52 win over Westminster on Wednesday.

Santa Ana's win came from a few key players Buena Park will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Pedro Moran, who put up 18 points. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Issac Alvarez, who had 15 points.

Buena Park has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-17 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.2 points per game. As for Santa Ana, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-15.

Buena Park came up short against Santa Ana in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 69-59. Thankfully for Buena Park, Jack Rivera (who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 11 boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.