Basketball Game Preview: Santa Teresa Saints vs. Del Mar Dons

Santa Teresa is 8-2 against Del Mar since December of 2014 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The two teams will face off at 4:30 p.m. without much rest having both just played. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Santa Teresa picked up another tournament win on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 52-38 victory over Wilcox.

Santa Teresa got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Dahlia Daboul out in front who posted 17 points. The contest was Daboul's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mia Hwang, who had ten points.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Del Mar's strategy against Mt. Eden on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Del Mar blew Mt. Eden out of the water with a 53-13 final score. The Dons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 23 points or more this season.

Del Mar's win came from a few key players Santa Teresa will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zoey Hinkle, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 boards. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Del Mar's points. Mailey Japlit was another key player, putting up 13 points along with seven assists and three steals.

Del Mar smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 20 offensive boards in six consecutive matches.

Santa Teresa's victory bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Del Mar, they now have a winning record of 5-4.

Santa Teresa was able to grind out a solid win over Del Mar when the teams last played back in December of 2023, winning 46-37. Will Santa Teresa repeat their success, or does Del Mar have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.