Preview: Holtville Vikings vs. Santana Sultans
Holtville has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Santana Sultans at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Holtville suffered their biggest defeat since December 5, 2023 on Thursday. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 43-18 walloping at the hands of Imperial. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Holtville has suffered against Imperial since January 30, 2020.
Holtville's defeat came about despite a quality game from Vanessa Gonzalez, who scored nine points along with nine rebounds and five blocks. Gonzalez is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last eight games she's played. Jasmine Garewal was another key contributor, scoring six points along with ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Santana's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their seventh straight loss. They were outmatched by West Hills on the road and fell 62-11. While losing is never fun, Santana can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1264th, while West Hills is ranked 499th).
Holtville has not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-11 record this season. As for Santana, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 4-15.
Holtville strolled past Santana in their previous meeting back in February of 2020 by a score of 49-31. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Santana's Brianna Jerig, who scored 11 points along with eight steals and seven rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Monday, will it be that much easier for Holtville to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
