Basketball Game Preview: Bakersfield Christian Eagles vs. Sierra Pacific Golden Bears

The Bakersfield Christian Eagles will head out to challenge the Sierra Pacific Golden Bears at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

It was a Battle of the Birds when Bakersfield Christian faced off against Independence on Thursday. Bakersfield Christian blew past Independence 72-24. The win continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Falcons: they've now won eight in a row.

Ruby Yanagi

Points

02/06/25 vs Independence	25
01/30/25 vs Highland	15
01/28/25 @ Ridgeview	28

Bakersfield Christian relied on the efforts of Ruby Yanagi, who went 8 for 14 on her way to 25 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals, and Ajulene Rivera, who posted 17 points along with seven steals and five boards. The contest was Yanagi's third in a row with at least 15 points. Alexis Bila was another key player, putting up eight points and seven assists.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Sierra Pacific's strategy against Selma on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Sierra Pacific blew Selma out of the water with a 76-26 final score. Given the Golden Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 82nd, while the Bears are ranked 627th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Sierra Pacific is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.9 points over those games. As for Bakersfield Christian, the victory got them back to even at 13-13.

Bakersfield Christian couldn't quite finish off Sierra Pacific in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 and fell 60-58. Thankfully for Bakersfield Christian, Makayla Carre (who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 13 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.