Basketball Game Preview: Orland Trojans vs. Central Valley Falcons

The Orland Trojans will take on the Central Valley Falcons in a tournament on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Orland has three straight victories, Central Valley has nine straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Orland sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 46-44 win over Red Bluff.

Orland relied on the efforts of Jayden Thompson, who went 8 for 16 on his way to 20 points in addition to six steals and five boards, and Preston Carlson, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 10 points in addition to five assists and five steals. The dominant performance gave Carlson a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Dominick Bose, who posted ten points.

Meanwhile, Central Valley didn't have quite enough to beat Yreka on Tuesday and fell 42-39.

Central Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 2-12. As for Orland, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Orland against Central Valley in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 68-27 victory. Will Orland repeat their success, or does Central Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.