Basketball Game Preview: Channel Islands Raiders vs. Santa Ynez Pirates

Channel Islands is 0-7 against Santa Ynez since December of 2014 but things could change on Friday. The Channel Islands Raiders will be taking part in a tournament against the Santa Ynez Pirates at 2:30 p.m. Channel Islands knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 matchups -- so hopefully Santa Ynez likes a good challenge.

Last Monday, everything went Channel Islands' way against Hueneme as Channel Islands made off with a 72-46 win. The Raiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 21 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Santa Ynez was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They lost to Paso Robles on the road by a 68-54 margin. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Pirates came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 297th, while the Bearcats are ranked 632nd).

Channel Islands pushed their record up to 10-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.8 points per game. As for Santa Ynez, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.

Channel Islands lost to Santa Ynez on the road by a decisive 51-37 margin in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Can Channel Islands avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.