Basketball Game Preview: Capistrano Valley Christian Eagles vs. Mission Hills Grizzlies

The Capistrano Valley Christian Eagles will be taking part in a tournament against the Mission Hills Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.

While Capistrano Valley Christian didn't have the best season last year (they finished 12-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Troy with a sharp 66-45 win on Wednesday. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 21 points or more this season.

Capistrano Valley Christian got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Benjamin Makelela out in front who posted eight points in addition to eight rebounds and six assists. What's more, Makelela also racked up four steals, the most he's had since back in January. Another player making a difference was Shaunt Kechejian, who went 6 for 9 on his way to 17 points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mission Hills). They blew past Bolsa Grande, posting an 80-19 win. Given the Grizzlies' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 182nd, while the Matadors are ranked 988th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mission Hills has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points per game. As for Capistrano Valley Christian, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-2.

Capistrano Valley Christian ended up a good deal behind Mission Hills when the teams last played back in April of 2021, losing 62-43. Can Capistrano Valley Christian avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.