Basketball Game Preview: Santa Paula Cardinals vs. Elsinore Tigers

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Cardinals face off against the Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Santa Paula is coming into the game hot, having won their last 12 games.

Last Monday, Santa Paula blew past Channel Islands, posting a 71-16 win. The Cardinals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 contests by 24 points or more this season.

Jalynn Rico

Field Goal Percentage

02/03/25 vs Channel Islands	58%
01/30/25 @ Carpinteria	43%
01/28/25 @ Fillmore	54%
01/23/25 vs Malibu	43%
01/16/25 vs Nordhoff	29%
+ 29 more games

Santa Paula's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jalynn Rico, who went 7 for 12 to rack up 15 points and eight assists. What's more, Rico also posted a 58% field goal percentage, which is the highest she's posted since back in January of 2024. Alyssa Garcia was another key player, going 8 of 18 en route to 18 points and six boards.

Meanwhile, Elsinore was beaten by San Jacinto 85-18 on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, Elsinore can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 766th, while San Jacinto is ranked 183rd).

Santa Paula pushed their record up to 18-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 20.8 points over those games. As for Elsinore, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 9-17.