Basketball Game Preview: Menlo-Atherton Bears vs. Archbishop Riordan Crusaders

The Menlo-Atherton Bears will head out to face off against the Archbishop Riordan Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Menlo-Atherton heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup on Friday. They received a blow as they fell 65-51 to Valley Christian.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Riordan came tearing into Friday's game with 14 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 38.1 points), and they left with even more momentum. They took down the Monarchs 59-45. Given the Crusaders' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Monarchs are ranked 117th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Archbishop Riordan's victory was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 24-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.9 points over those games. As for Menlo-Atherton, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-7.

Menlo-Atherton came up short against Archbishop Riordan in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, falling 58-53. Can Menlo-Atherton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.