Basketball Game Preview: Monterey Trail Mustangs vs. Lincoln Trojans

Monterey Trail hasn't had much luck against Lincoln recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Monterey Trail Mustangs will face off against the Lincoln Trojans at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Monterey Trail sitting on six straight wins and Lincoln on four.

Monterey Trail is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They blew past Edison 83-48. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Vikings are ranked 268th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Lincoln's strategy against Gregori on Wednesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lincoln blew Gregori out of the water with an 84-51 final score. The Trojans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 16 matchups by 20 points or more this season.

Lincoln had a senior duo take command as Donez Lindsey almost dropped a double-double with 16 points and nine assists and Anthony Moore went 9-for-18 on his way to 22 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Moore's evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Dilan Fanucchi was another key player, going 6-for-10 to rack up 12 points and six boards.

Monterey Trail's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-5. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.0 points over those games. As for Lincoln, their win bumped their record up to 26-3.

Monterey Trail came up short against Lincoln in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 93-88. Can Monterey Trail avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.