Basketball Game Preview: Maria Carrillo Pumas vs. Santa Rosa Panthers

The Maria Carrillo Pumas will square off against the Santa Rosa Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Maria Carrillo's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three matches.

Last Tuesday, Maria Carrillo beat Analy 55-43. Given the Pumas' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 252nd, while the Tigers are ranked 758th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

James Hillestad continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 9 for 19 on his way to 23 points along with five assists and five steals. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Eli Jamieson, who posted ten points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.

Meanwhile, Santa Rosa was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They had to suffer through a 59-30 loss at the hands of Cardinal Newman.

Maria Carrillo's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-9. As for Santa Rosa, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-11.

Maria Carrillo came out on top in a nail-biter against Santa Rosa in their previous matchup two weeks ago, sneaking past 58-55. Will Maria Carrillo repeat their success, or does Santa Rosa have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.