Basketball Game Preview: Palo Verde Valley Yellow Jackets vs. Calipatria Hornets

Yellow Jackets

Points

02/13/25 vs Holtville	69
02/06/25 @ Brawley	46
02/03/25 @ Southwest EC	59
01/31/25 vs Holtville	51
01/28/25 vs Brawley	41
+ 20 more games

Having just played yesterday, the Palo Verde Valley Yellow Jackets will head out on the road to face off against the Calipatria Hornets at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Palo Verde Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55 points per game this season.

Palo Verde Valley took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Holtville, posting a 69-41 win. The victory continues a trend for the Yellow Jackets in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won eight in a row.

It was another big night for Zaraivion Crowe, who dropped a double-double with 44 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Palo Verde Valley's points. Another player making a difference was Yasias Green, who posted four points and three steals.

Palo Verde Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in nine consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Calipatria was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 67-63 heartbreaker at the hands of Vincent Memorial.

Palo Verde Valley's record now sits at 10-15. As for Calipatria, their loss dropped their record down to 9-12.

Palo Verde Valley was taken down by Calipatria 65-29 in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. Can Palo Verde Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.