Basketball Game Preview: Mt. Eden Monarchs vs. Del Mar Dons

The Mt. Eden Monarchs will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Del Mar Dons at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Mt. Eden can't be to happy about their upcoming road game considering what happened when they opened their season on the away from home on December 7th. They fell 42-29 to Woodside. The defeat continues a trend for the Monarchs in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now lost four in a row.

Meanwhile, Del Mar lost to Ann Sobrato at home by a 52-38 margin on Friday.

Mt. Eden will have to contain Zoey Hinkle as she made an impact in Del Mar's last game. She dropped a double-double on 26 points and 16 boards. Hinkle's evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Nalani Jackson, who posted four points.

Even though they lost, Del Mar smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 20 offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.

Mt. Eden didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Del Mar when the teams last played back in December of 2022, but they still walked away with a 40-35 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mt. Eden since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.