Basketball Game Preview: Heritage Patriots vs. Moreno Valley Vikings

The Heritage Patriots will face off against the Moreno Valley Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Heritage took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Valley View 61-34. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 137th, while the Eagles are ranked 358th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Heritage to victory, but perhaps none more so than Sierra Maxwell, who almost dropped a triple-double on 14 points, nine rebounds, and ten assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Reg'Inae Hardin, who went 5 of 8 on her way to 12 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals.

Meanwhile, Moreno Valley took their match on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 62-17 victory over Poly. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 37-5.

Heritage better keep an eye on Bella Medina. She was instrumental in Moreno Valley's win, going 6 for 14 on her way to 13 points in addition to eight assists and eight steals. With that strong performance, Medina is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Leiayjah Mills, who went 7 of 13 on her way to 14 points.

Moreno Valley is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.9 points per game. As for Heritage, they pushed their record up to 14-4 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home.

Heritage was taken down by Moreno Valley 83-29 when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Can Heritage avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.