Basketball Game Preview: Whittier Cardinals vs. California Condors

Whittier is 1-9 against California since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Whittier Cardinals will face off against the California Condors at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with six defeats in a row, Whittier turned things around against Santa Fe on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Chiefs, sneaking past 45-42. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Cardinals have posted since January 26, 2024.

Whittier got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Olivia Alvares out in front who went 7 of 15 en route to 18 points and five boards. Alvares is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. Kassandra Mendoza was another key player, putting up nine points and four steals.

Whittier smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, California beat La Serna 48-43 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Condors.

California has also been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.6 points per game. As for Whittier, their victory was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-5 and their overall record up to 9-15.

Whittier lost to California on the road by a decisive 60-41 margin when the teams last played back in January. Can Whittier avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.