Basketball Game Preview: Hilltop Lancers vs. Chula Vista Spartans

The Hilltop Lancers will challenge the Chula Vista Spartans at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Hilltop: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Chula Vista has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.

Hilltop is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Sweetwater on Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Hilltop lost 49-25 to Sweetwater. The last quarter was a mere formality, since the game's final score was reached by the end of the third quarter.

Despite their loss, Hilltop saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Adrian Alvarez, who posted ten points and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Alvarez has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryson Grant, who scored four points.

Meanwhile, Chula Vista didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Castle Park on Wednesday, but they still walked away with a 51-46 win.

Chula Vista is also on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.3 points per game. As for Hilltop, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-15.

Hilltop was dealt a bruising 69-28 loss at the hands of Chula Vista in their previous meeting last Wednesday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Chula Vista's Giovanni Contreras, who put up 27 points. Now that Hilltop knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.