Preview: Ventura Cougars vs. Rio Mesa Spartans
Ventura has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Rio Mesa Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Ventura knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Rio Mesa likes a good challenge.
Even though Ventura has not done well against San Marcos recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Ventura walked away with a 67-54 win over San Marcos.
Parsa Kamali was his usual excellent self, scoring 24 points along with four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Travis Valenzuela, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds.
Rio Mesa suffered their closest defeat since December 29, 2023 on Monday. They fell just short of Buena by a score of 54-51. Rio Mesa has struggled against Buena recently, as their match on Monday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
The losing side was boosted by Jackson Knowles, who scored 18 points along with four steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games he's played. John Moreno was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with six rebounds.
Ventura's victory bumped their record up to 8-13. As for Rio Mesa, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost 12 of their last 14 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-15 record this season.
Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Ventura have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 41.8% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Rio Mesa struggles in that department as they've made 37.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Ventura didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Rio Mesa in their previous meeting on January 5th, but they still walked away with a 57-52 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ventura since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
