Preview: Norte Vista Braves vs. La Sierra Eagles
The Norte Vista Braves will head out on the road to challenge the La Sierra Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Norte Vista's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last nine matches.
Norte Vista pushed their score all the way to 60 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 75-60 bruising from Arlington. Norte Vista has struggled against Arlington recently, as their contest on Thursday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Norte Vista saw an underclassman step up: Carter Fulton scored 26 points along with two steals and two blocks. That was a full 43.3% of Norte Vista's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Marinio Elissaint, who scored five points along with eight rebounds and six assists.
While La Sierra couldn't quite beat Patriot on Thursday, the three-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 44-point defeat they were dealt on Tuesday. La Sierra fell just short of Patriot by a score of 54-51. La Sierra's loss continues an unfortunate trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Norte Vista's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-8. As for La Sierra, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-12 record this season.
Norte Vista took their win against La Sierra when the teams last played on January 4th by a conclusive 82-62. The rematch might be a little tougher for Norte Vista since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
