Basketball Game Preview: Rock Academy Warriors vs. Mar Vista Mariners

Rock Academy is 0-4 against Mar Vista since December of 2014 but things could change on Thursday. Both will compete for holiday cheer at 6:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Rock Academy is headed into Thursday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their tenth straight game dating back to last season on Monday. They were outmatched by Santa Fe Christian and fell 75-27. The Warriors were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-12.

Rock Academy's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of James Whitley, who posted 14 points and seven rebounds, and Roland Balderramos, who had eight points. That was a full 51.9% of Rock Academy's points, marking the sixth time in a row he's put up more than a third of the team's points.

Meanwhile, Mar Vista was just a bucket shy of victory on Tuesday and fell 66-65 to Chula Vista. While the Mariners didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Spartans 13-5 in the first quarter.

Mar Vista has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.4 points per game. As for Rock Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.

Rock Academy might still be hurting after the 56-35 loss they got from Mar Vista when the teams last played back in January of 2017. Can Rock Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.