Basketball Game Preview: Bullard Knights vs. Bakersfield Christian Eagles

The Bullard Knights will challenge the Bakersfield Christian Eagles at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Bullard is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering San Joaquin Memorial just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost 74-51 to the Panthers. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Knights have suffered since January 4th.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bakersfield Christian). They claimed a resounding 92-24 victory over Highland. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 33 points or more this season.

Bakersfield Christian's win came from a few key players Bullard will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tia Nichols, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 boards. She has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more rebounds the last ten times she's played. Ruby Yanagi was another key player, going 6 of 15 on her way to 15 points and six steals.

Bakersfield Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 19 consecutive games.

Bakersfield Christian is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-12 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.0 points per game. As for Bullard, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 16-9.

Bullard came up short against Bakersfield Christian in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 46-42. Can Bullard avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.