Basketball Game Preview: John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills Patriots vs. Union Mine Diamondbacks

The John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills Patriots and the Union Mine Diamondbacks will face off at 4:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering McFarland just ended the team's 11-game winning streak dating back to last season on Thursday. They took a hard 64-46 fall against the Cougars. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Patriots came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 199th, while the Cougars are ranked 718th).

Despite the defeat, John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills had strong showings from Keliah Gregg, who posted eight points and eight steals, and Ashlyn Arellano, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. Arellano has been hot, having posted eight or more boards the last eight times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Norah Barmby, who earned six points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Union Mine played a tough game on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 58-27 loss at the hands of River City. The Diamondbacks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills will have to keep a close watch on Sydnee Jones and Baily Reynolds, a pair of players who had a big impact on Union Mine's prior game. Jones put up four points and 12 rebounds, while Reynolds had nine points and six rebounds. That's the most points Reynolds has posted since back in January.

Union Mine's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 1-7. As for John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 6-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Union Mine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.