Basketball Game Preview: Walnut Mustangs vs. Ayala Bulldogs

The Walnut Mustangs will venture away from home to take on the Ayala Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

It looked like the Kentucky Derby when Walnut challenged Carson on Saturday. Walnut blew past Carson 38-15. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 299th, while the Colts are ranked 684th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Claire Olia

Steals

12/28/24 @ Carson	2
12/27/24 vs Whittier Christian	6
12/26/24 vs Villa Park	4
12/23/24 vs Irvine	5
12/19/24 vs Claremont	2

It was another big night for Claire Olia, who almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kameryn Perea-Saupan, who went 6 of 13 en route to 13 points.

Walnut smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in nine consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Ayala didn't have too much trouble with Chino on Tuesday as they won 52-38. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.

Ayala's win came from a few key players Walnut will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Addison Gonzalez, who went 8 of 19 on her way to 23 points and eight rebounds. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lilianna Acosta, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 boards.

Walnut pushed their record up to 11-5 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.7 points per game. As for Ayala, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-8 record this season.

Everything went Walnut's way against Ayala in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as Walnut made off with a 47-25 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Walnut since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.