The Fallbrook Warriors and the Chaparral Pumas will compete for holiday cheer at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Last Thursday, in a tight matchup that could have gone either way, Fallbrook made off with a 51-50 victory over Carlsbad. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 208th, while the Lancers are ranked 419th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/12/24 vs Carlsbad | 14 |
| 12/10/24 @ San Pasqual | 16 |
| 12/09/24 @ Mission Vista | 20 |
| 12/07/24 vs Rancho Buena Vista | 13 |
| 12/06/24 vs Cathedral Catholic | 19 |
Fallbrook found their leader in sophomore Grace Nordeen, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 14 rebounds. Nordeen is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last 41 games she's played dating back to last season. Janice Garcia was another key player, putting up nine points along with seven boards and four steals.
Fallbrook smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Chaparral took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 66-20 win over Liberty. The Pumas have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 20 points or more this season.
Chaparral found their leader in sophomore Zetta Faasua, who almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which Faasua has scored at least a third of Chaparral's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Lexa Ava Li, who posted five points in addition to ten assists and seven steals.
Fallbrook's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.7 points per game. As for Chaparral, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Fallbrook has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 42.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Chaparral struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Fallbrook was able to grind out a solid win over Chaparral when the teams last played back in December of 2022, winning 57-44. Will Fallbrook repeat their success, or does Chaparral have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
