Basketball Game Preview: Elk Grove Thundering Herd vs. Atwater Falcons

The Elk Grove Thundering Herd and the Atwater Falcons will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Elk Grove has given up an average of 56.2 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

On Saturday, Elk Grove beat Santa Cruz 70-61.

Elk Grove can attribute much of their success to Josh Wilks, who shot 67% from the field to rack up 22 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals, and Mathias MacPhail, who went 6-for-14 en route to 18 points. Josiah Anderson was another key player, putting up six points along with five assists and five steals.

Elk Grove was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Atwater beat Turlock 52-46 on Tuesday.

Atwater's victory bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Elk Grove, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.

Everything went Elk Grove's way against Atwater in their previous meeting back in February of 2022, as Elk Grove made off with a 67-44 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Thundering Herd since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.