The Hemet Bulldogs will face off against the Citrus Hill Hawks at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Hemet's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 14 matchups.
If Hemet beats Citrus Hill with 78 points on Tuesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Hemet claimed a resounding 78-47 win over Vista del Lago. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 21 points or more this season.
| 01/09/25 vs Vista del Lago | 3 |
| 01/07/25 @ Perris | 2 |
| 12/16/24 vs Temecula Prep | 2 |
| 12/07/24 vs Woodcrest Christian | 2 |
| 12/04/24 vs Bloomington | 2 |
Hemet got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Cruz Plascencia out in front who went 6 of 12 en route to 14 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance gave Plascencia a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Torres, who went 6 of 14 on his way to 16 points.
Hemet was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Vista del Lago only racked up 11 assists.
Meanwhile, Citrus Hill didn't have quite enough to beat Perris on Thursday and fell 66-64. The Hawks were up 39-25 in the second quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.
Hemet will need focus on slowing down Jerren White, one of several Citrus Hill players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 boards. White has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 23 times he's played. Alaric(AJ) Hayes was another key player, going 8 of 16 on his way to 21 points.
Hemet's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-2. As for Citrus Hill, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-8.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's match: Hemet has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.2% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Citrus Hill, though, as they've only made 27.2% of their threes this season. Given Hemet's sizable advantage in that area, Citrus Hill will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hemet suffered a grim 70-44 defeat to Citrus Hill in their previous matchup back in January of 2020. Thankfully for Hemet, Brian Brown Jr. (who shot 8-for-11 from long range and dropped a double-double on 33 points and ten boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
