Basketball Game Preview: Walnut Mustangs vs. Claremont Wolfpack

The Walnut Mustangs just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Claremont Wolfpack at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Walnut knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Claremont likes a good challenge.

Walnut saw some tournament action on Monday. They walked away with a 55-47 win over Marquez. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 223rd, while the Gladiators are ranked 641st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Claremont can bid farewell to their seven-game losing streak thanks to their game on Monday. They came out on top against Mary Star of the Sea by a score of 51-44.

Claremont found their leader in sophomore Jaden Cardenas, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 13 rebounds. What's more, Cardenas also racked up three steals, the most he's had since back in November of 2024. Jaden Wang was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Walnut is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.2 points per game. As for Claremont, their victory bumped their record up to 10-13.

Walnut strolled past Claremont when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a score of 64-48. The rematch might be a little tougher for Walnut since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.