Basketball Game Preview: Trona Tornadoes vs. Baker Braves

The Trona Tornadoes will face off against the Baker Braves at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

Trona is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 60 points on Monday, they were much more limited against Big Pine on Friday. They were outmatched by the Warriors and fell 57-26. The Tornadoes' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Meanwhile, Baker entered their tilt with Immanuel Christian on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They were the clear victor by a 51-27 margin over the Crusaders.

Trona better focus on containing Anthony Ortiz and Anthony Ibarra as the pair were huge in Baker's win. Ortiz went 7 of 15 on his way to 20 points and five assists, while Ibarra posted 11 points along with five assists and five steals. Ibarra has been hot for a while, having posted four or more steals the last ten times he's played. Juan Alvarez was another key player, putting up two points and three steals.

Baker is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.9 points per game. As for Trona, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-12.

Trona couldn't quite finish off Baker in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 and fell 33-31. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ortiz, who went 7 for 12 en route to 17 points and four steals. Now that Trona knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.