Basketball Game Preview: Vista del Lago Ravens vs. Hemet Bulldogs

Vista del Lago hasn't had much luck against Hemet recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Vista del Lago Ravens will venture away from home to square off against the Hemet Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. That game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Ja'Marion Jackson and Matthew Torres.

Vista del Lago is headed into Thursday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 59-54 heartbreaker at the hands of Lakeside. The contest was a 27-27 toss-up at halftime, but the Ravens couldn't quite close it out.

Meanwhile, Hemet had already won 12 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.3 points) and they went ahead and made it 13 on Tuesday. They strolled past the Panthers with points to spare, taking the game 78-59. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 295th, while the Panthers are ranked 946th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hemet's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.6 points per game. As for Vista del Lago, their loss dropped their record down to 4-13.

Vista del Lago couldn't quite finish off Hemet in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 and fell 2-0. Can Vista del Lago avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.