Basketball Recap: Palm Desert Now 9-2 over Last 11 Games

Jake Brande

Points (Career)

01/06/25 vs La Quinta	26
12/20/24 vs Oak Hills	20
12/10/24 @ Beaumont	17
12/28/24 vs Hillcrest	16
12/27/24 @ Carter	16

If La Quinta wanted to avenge their loss from the last time they played Palm Desert, they should've done a better job of containing Jake Brande. The Palm Desert Aztecs were the clear victor by a 65-42 margin over the La Quinta Blackhawks on Monday thanks in part to Brande, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 14 rebounds. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in points.

When it comes to explaining why La Quinta lost, don't look at Michael Magnetti. Despite the final result, he went 7 of 15 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Carlos Zazueta, who posted six points along with six boards and four steals.

Palm Desert is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.0 points per game. As for La Quinta, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-5 record this season.

Palm Desert will head out to face off against Rancho Mirage at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Rancho Mirage knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 16 contests -- so hopefully Palm Desert likes a good challenge. As for La Quinta, they will welcome Palm Springs at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (La Quinta has won three straight at home, while Palm Springs won four straight on the road), something that'll have to change.