Basketball Game Preview: Pinole Valley Spartans vs. Salesian College Preparatory Pride

Pinole Valley hasn't had much luck against Salesian College Preparatory recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Pinole Valley Spartans will face off against the Salesian College Preparatory Pride at 12:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Last Thursday, Pinole Valley earned a 56-43 win over Saint Mary's. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Spartans.

Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Salesian College Preparatory had no problem doing just that on Thursday. Everything went their way against the Bruins as they made off with a 71-51 victory. The Pride have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 20 points or more this season.

Pinole Valley better keep an eye on Janiya Sawyer. She was instrumental in Salesian College Preparatory's win, almost dropping a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Sawyer a new career-high in assists (eight). Emma Bryant was another key player, putting up 16 points.

Pinole Valley pushed their record up to 18-9 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.0 points over those games. As for Salesian College Preparatory, the victory was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 19-8.

Pinole Valley came up short against Salesian College Preparatory in their previous matchup last Thursday, falling 48-38. Can Pinole Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.