Preview: Redwood Rangers vs. Mt. Whitney Pioneers
The Redwood Rangers will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the Mt. Whitney Pioneers at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Redwood has 12 straight victories, Mt. Whitney has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Tuesday, Redwood sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 51-49 win over Golden West. Given Redwood's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 328th, while Golden West is ranked 752nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Redwood's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cole Gilcrest led the charge by dropping a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds. Gilcrest is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last eight games he's played. Isaac Esquivel was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Mt. Whitney came up short against Monache on Tuesday and fell 58-46.
Redwood has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 20-8 record this season. As for Mt. Whitney, they dropped their record down to 7-19 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Redwood strolled past Mt. Whitney in their previous matchup back in January by a score of 50-35. Does Redwood have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mt. Whitney turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
