The Ontario Christian Knights are taking a road trip to face off against the Esperanza Aztecs at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Ontario Christian is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 60.2 points per game this season.
Last Wednesday, Ontario Christian came up short against Linfield Christian and fell 56-46. While the Knights didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Lions 15-5 in the first quarter.
Cole Jones
| 02/05/25 @ Linfield Christian | 26 |
| 01/31/25 vs Alta Loma | 18 |
| 01/29/25 @ Woodcrest Christian | 21 |
| 01/24/25 @ Arrowhead Christian | 15 |
| 01/21/25 vs Aquinas | 20 |
| + 7 more games |
Despite the defeat, Ontario Christian got top-tier performance from Cole Jones, who went 9 of 18 to rack up 26 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. The matchup was Jones' 12th in a row with at least 15 points. Zander Lewis was another key player, putting up eight points and six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Ontario Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Esperanza was just a bucket shy of victory on Tuesday and fell 38-37 to Sunny Hills. The contest marked the Aztecs' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Ontario Christian will need to focus on slowing down Vincent Garza, one of several Esperanza players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 boards. Garza is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 45% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Alex Van Otterloo, who posted six points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Ontario Christian's loss dropped their record down to 15-13. As for Esperanza, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Ontario Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33 boards per game. However, it's not like Esperanza struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Ontario Christian came up short against Esperanza in their previous matchup back in November of 2021, falling 65-58. Can Ontario Christian avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
