Basketball Game Preview: Encina Bulldogs vs. Foresthill Wildfires

The Encina Bulldogs will venture away from home to square off against the Foresthill Wildfires at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Foresthill took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Encina, who comes in off a win.

Encina is headed into the match having just posted their biggest win since February 12, 2024 on Tuesday. They blew past Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning 66-26. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 32-10.

Encina's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jalani Draper led the charge by putting up 13 points in addition to seven boards and four steals. Another player making a difference was Daylin Tucker, who went 6 of 11 on his way to 13 points and three steals.

Encina smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Foresthill was just a bucket shy of victory on Tuesday and fell 60-59 to Victory Christian.

Foresthill's loss dropped their record down to 9-8. As for Encina, their victory bumped their record up to 4-7.

Everything came up roses for Encina against Foresthill in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 77-47 win. Will Encina repeat their success, or does Foresthill have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.