Basketball Game Preview: Orestimba Warriors vs. Hilmar Yellowjackets

Orestimba is on a three-game streak of home losses, Hilmar a three-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck will change on Thursday. The Orestimba Warriors will welcome the Hilmar Yellowjackets at 5:30 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Orestimba will face Hilmar after dropping another heartbreaker against Ripon on Tuesday, which marked the second time in a row the team's come within 3.1 of beating them. Orestimba fell 33-26 to Ripon. That's two games in a row now that the Warriors have lost by exactly seven points.

Meanwhile, Hilmar didn't have quite enough to beat Sonora on Tuesday and fell 45-42. While the Yellowjackets didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Wildcats 14-10 in the first quarter.

Orestimba will need focus on slowing down Emma Gomes, one of several Hilmar players who made an impact when they last played. She went 7 for 14 on her way to 15 points in addition to eight boards and five steals. Ava Stivers was another key player, going 6 of 9 en route to 14 points.

Orestimba's defeat dropped their record down to 11-11. As for Hilmar, their loss dropped their record down to 5-16.

Orestimba couldn't quite finish off Hilmar when the teams last played back in January and fell 33-30. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gomes, who went 6 for 12 on her way to 14 points along with six steals and five assists. Now that Orestimba knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.