Basketball Game Preview: Encina Bulldogs vs. Foresthill Wildfires

Encina hasn't had much luck against Foresthill recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Encina Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Foresthill Wildfires at 5:30 p.m.

Encina is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Tuesday. They lost to Forest Lake Christian at home by a 40-22 margin.

Elise Brandon

Steals

02/04/25 vs Forest Lake Christian	6
01/31/25 vs Sacramento Waldorf	3
01/28/25 @ Futures	5
01/24/25 @ John Adams Academy Rsvl/Lin	7
01/22/25 @ Chesterton Academy of Sacramento	4
+ 13 more games

Despite the defeat, Encina had strong showings from Elise Brandon, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 17 rebounds, and Khaliah McDonald, who posted three points and 19 boards. Brandon is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season.

Even though they lost, Encina smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 32 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.

Foresthill played against Victory Christian and won via forfeit.

The victory was the fourth in a row for Foresthill, bringing their record for this year to 16-8. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 10.0 points over those games. As for Encina, their loss dropped their record down to 5-13.

Things could have been worse for Encina, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 43-28 loss to Foresthill in their previous matchup back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Foresthill's Amy Saxelby, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 13 rebounds. Now that Encina knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.