Basketball Game Preview: Pierce Bears vs. Fortuna Huskies

The Pierce Bears and the Fortuna Huskies will compete for holiday cheer at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pierce will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.

Pierce's tournament run continued when they took on Forest Lake Christian on Saturday. Pierce walked away with a 42-33 victory over Forest Lake Christian. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 293rd, while the Falcons are ranked 619th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Pierce's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Destany Martinez led the charge by putting up 15 points along with five boards and four steals. That's the most steals Martinez has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Magali Jauregui, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 boards.

Pierce smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Forest Lake Christian only pulled down ten offensive boards.

Fortuna has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were one points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 37-36 heartbreaker at the hands of McKinleyville.

Pierce's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.8 points per game. As for Fortuna, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.