Basketball Game Preview: Elk Grove Thundering Herd vs. Monterey Trail Mustangs

The Elk Grove Thundering Herd are taking a road trip to take on the Monterey Trail Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Elk Grove is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 60 points per game this season.

Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Elk Grove turned things around against Laguna Creek on Wednesday. They walked away with a 54-41 victory over the Cardinals. Given the Thundering Herd's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 196th, while the Cardinals are ranked 560th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

It was another big night for Noah Hargrave, who posted 25 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Danny Dennaoui, who scored eight points and 16 boards.

Elk Grove smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Monterey Trail's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. The contest between them and Sheldon didn't end well, with Monterey Trail falling 67-51.

Elk Grove's record is now 15-7. As for Monterey Trail, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 18-5.

Things could have been worse for Elk Grove, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 62-47 loss to Monterey Trail in their previous matchup on January 10th. Can Elk Grove avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.