Preview: Bethel Jaguars vs. El Cerrito Gauchos
The Bethel Jaguars will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the El Cerrito Gauchos at 7:00 p.m. on February 1st. Bethel knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past seven matchups -- so hopefully the Gauchos likes a good challenge.
In what's become a running theme this season, Bethel gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 78-38 victory over Swett. Given Bethel's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 362nd, while the Warriors are ranked 960th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bethel's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from H. Howard, who scored 18 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Howard has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more points the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of D. Stricklen, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, El Cerrito came into Tuesday's contest having lost five straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They walked away with a 72-61 win over Kennedy on Tuesday. The high flying offensive effort was a huge turnaround for El Cerrito considering their 15-point performance the game before.
Bethel pushed their record up to 15-7 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.0 points per game. As for El Cerrito, their win ended a eight-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-17.
Everything came up roses for Bethel against the Gauchos in their previous meeting back in January as the team secured a 68-33 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bethel since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
