Basketball Game Preview: Baldwin Park Braves vs. Pomona Red Devils

The Baldwin Park Braves will take on the Pomona Red Devils in a holiday battle at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Pomona took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Baldwin Park, who comes in off a win.

Pomona better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if Baldwin Park's game on Friday is any indication, that's when Baldwin Park really gets things going. The Braves put the hurt on El Monte with a sharp 53-33 victory. The Braves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 20 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Pomona was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their 12th straight defeat dating back to last season. They were dealt a 67-22 loss at the hands of Monrovia. The Red Devils were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-13.

Despite the defeat, Pomona saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Destin Tilman almost dropped a double-double with 18 points and nine boards. That was a full 81.8% of the Red Devils' points, marking the sixth time in a row Tilman has posted more than a third of the team's points.

Baldwin Park is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.9 points over those games. As for Pomona, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.

Baldwin Park skirted past Pomona 48-45 in their previous matchup back in December of 2021. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Red Devils' 0Mar Henderson, who went 10-for-16 to rack up 28 points. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for the Braves to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.