Basketball Game Preview: Aptos Mariners vs. Santa Cruz Cardinals

The Aptos Mariners will square off against the Santa Cruz Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.

Last Tuesday, Aptos didn't have too much trouble with Soquel as they won 46-30. The 46-point effort marked the Mariners' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Santa Cruz beat Scotts Valley 61-48 on Tuesday.

Santa Cruz has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a massive bump to their 9-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.9 points per game. As for Aptos, they pushed their record up to 13-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road.

Aptos came up short against Santa Cruz when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 43-36. Will Aptos have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.