Basketball Game Preview: Hollister Haybalers vs. Menlo-Atherton Bears

The Hollister Haybalers and the Menlo-Atherton Bears will round out the year against one another at at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Menlo-Atherton took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Hollister, who comes in off a win.

Hollister is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Rancho San Juan: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Hollister blew Rancho San Juan out of the water with a 66-24 final score. That 42 point margin sets a new team best for the Haybalers this season.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Menlo-Atherton's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They took a hard 53-38 fall against Menlo School. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 202nd, while the Knights are ranked 58th).

The victory got Hollister back to even at 4-4. As for Menlo-Atherton, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.

Hollister was able to grind out a solid win over Menlo-Atherton in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 45-37. Does Hollister have another victory up their sleeve, or will Menlo-Atherton turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.