Basketball Game Preview: Portola Tigers vs. University Prep Panthers

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Portola Tigers challenge the University Prep Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday... Both are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

Portola took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 87-49 win over Oroville. Portola has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 23 points or more this season.

Connor Sheridan continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 40 points and 14 boards. He has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more rebounds the last 42 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Magnus Berg, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten rebounds.

Portola smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, University Prep posted their biggest victory since January 11, 2024 on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Anderson 63-22. The team ran away with 49 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those to pick up the win.

Portola has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.2 points per game. As for University Prep, their victory bumped their record up to 8-6.