Preview: Fresno Christian Eagles vs. Chowchilla Tribe
Fresno Christian has been on the road for two straight, but on Tuesday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Chowchilla Tribe at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
While it was all tied up 16-16 at halftime, Fresno Christian was not quite Yosemite's equal in the second half on Friday. Fresno Christian fell just short of Yosemite by a score of 37-34. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Fresno Christian has suffered yet this season.
Fresno Christian's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Anna Pascual, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Sarah Guglielmana who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 15 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Pascual has scored all season.
Meanwhile, Chowchilla strolled past Liberty with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 36-19. The victory was just what Chowchilla needed coming off of a 69-29 loss in their prior matchup.
Chowchilla found their leader in underclassman Nour Escheik, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. Escheik hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for six straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Shalaya Moore, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Fresno Christian bumped their record down to 6-16 with that defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 26.8 points per game. As for Chowchilla, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 8-9 record this season.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Fresno Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Chowchilla struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 35.2 rebounds per game. Given Fresno Christian's sizeable advantage in that area, Chowchilla will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Fresno Christian against Chowchilla in their previous matchup back in January of 2023 as the squad secured a 59-11 win. Does Fresno Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Chowchilla turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
