Basketball Game Preview: Hemet Bulldogs vs. Lakeside Lancers

Hemet and Lakeside are an even 4-4 against one another since December of 2014, but not for long. The Hemet Bulldogs will head out to take on the Lakeside Lancers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Hemet's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 15 matchups.

Last Tuesday, Hemet was able to grind out a solid victory over Citrus Hill, taking the game 65-52. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 300th, while the Hawks are ranked 648th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Lakeside played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by Perris 85-47. The Lancers were down 66-34 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Hemet will need focus on slowing down Justin Jones, one of several Lakeside players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6 for 11 en route to 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maurice Turner, who posted ten points.

Lakeside has traveled a rocky road recently having lost 11 of their last 13 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-15 record this season. As for Hemet, they pushed their record up to 15-2 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home.

Everything came up roses for Hemet against Lakeside in their previous meeting back in February of 2022, as the squad secured a 72-37 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hemet since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.