Basketball Game Preview: Escondido Charter Tigers vs. Hoover Cardinals

A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Tigers take on the Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Escondido Charter will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.

Escondido Charter is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They claimed a resounding 83-34 victory over Valhalla. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 16 matchups by 25 points or more this season.

Kami Gillis

Steals

02/19/25 vs Valhalla	4
02/14/25 vs Santa Fe Christian	9
02/12/25 vs Classical Academy	3
02/07/25 vs Rock Academy	3
02/05/25 @ St. Joseph Academy	2
+ 8 more games

Escondido Charter got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kami Gillis out in front who went 9-for-12 on her way to 20 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. Gillis is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last 13 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Azalea Vilaysing, who went 9-for-15 en route to 21 points and four steals.

Escondido Charter smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Hoover didn't have too much trouble with Classical Academy on Wednesday as they won 57-40. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cardinals.

Escondido Charter's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-8. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.4 points. As for Hoover, their win bumped their record up to 15-13.

Everything went Escondido Charter's way against Hoover when the teams last played back in January, as Escondido Charter made off with a 70-44 victory. Will Escondido Charter repeat their success, or does Hoover have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.