Basketball Game Preview: Escondido Charter Tigers vs. Mt. Carmel Sundevils

Two dominant guards in Max Mowrey and Makai Orje are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Escondido Charter Tigers will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Mt. Carmel Sundevils at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Escondido Charter is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.3 points per game this season.

Escondido Charter took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They secured a 49-45 W over Escondido.

Escondido Charter's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Boldyn Rimmer led the charge by putting up 17 points and three steals. What's more, Rimmer also racked up four boards, the most he's had since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Joe Scates, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine boards.

Escondido Charter smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Mt. Carmel came up short against Helix on Thursday and fell 59-46. The Sundevils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite the loss, Mt. Carmel saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Tyler Humphrey posted 13 points in addition to seven boards and three blocks. Humphrey has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaylon Boyd, who had ten points.

Escondido Charter pushed their record up to 4-6 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.0 points per game. As for Mt. Carmel, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Escondido Charter has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29 boards per game. However, it's not like Mt. Carmel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.