Basketball Game Preview: Encinal Jets vs. Hayward Farmers

The Encinal Jets will take on the Hayward Farmers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Encinal knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully Hayward likes a good challenge.

While Encinal didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Balboa with a sharp 74-50 victory on Monday. The Jets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 21 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Hayward beat Tennyson 63-56 on Wednesday. Given the Farmers' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 375th, while the Lancers are ranked 1044th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hayward pushed their record up to 9-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.3 points per game. As for Encinal, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season.

Encinal came up short against Hayward when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 45-38. Can Encinal avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.