The Cypress Centurions will square off against the Villa Park Spartans at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Last Tuesday, Cypress came up short against Sonora and fell 48-37. While losing is never fun, the Centurions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 374th, while the Raiders are ranked 170th).
Despite the defeat, Cypress saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Sophia Cunha dropped a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Kailey Tilson, who posted seven points.
Even though they lost, Cypress smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 19 consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Villa Park waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Highlanders, posting a 65-15 victory. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 21 points or more this season.
Cypress better focus on containing Olivia Sturdivant and Madelyn Martinez as the pair were huge in Villa Park's win. Sturdivant went 7 for 10 on her way to 15 points, while Martinez made all 5 shots she took to post 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sabina Patel, who scored four points in addition to seven assists and four steals.
Villa Park pushed their record up to 18-4 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.3 points per game. As for Cypress, their loss dropped their record down to 10-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cypress has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Villa Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Cypress against Villa Park when the teams last played back in December of 2014, as the squad secured a 56-13 victory. In that matchup, Cypress amassed a halftime lead of 33-1, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
