Basketball Game Preview: Otay Ranch Mustangs vs. Escondido Charter Tigers

The Otay Ranch Mustangs will challenge the Escondido Charter Tigers at 2:00 p.m. on Monday.

Otay Ranch is headed into Monday's matchup hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight losses. They came up short against Rancho Bernardo on Saturday, falling 46-22. The game marked the Mustangs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Mackenzie Daffron, who posted seven points along with six boards and four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed four or more in the last three games she's played.

Meanwhile, Escondido Charter had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.2 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Firebirds 61-22. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 25 points or more this season.

Escondido Charter's win came from a few key players Otay Ranch will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Azalea Vilaysing, who went 6 of 15 en route to 12 points and eight steals. Those eight steals gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Faith Grayson, who had nine points in addition to six steals and five rebounds.

Escondido Charter smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 16 consecutive contests.

Escondido Charter's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-7. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.5 points per game. As for Otay Ranch, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-5.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Otay Ranch has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Escondido Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.