Basketball Recap: Hillcrest Victorious

Hillcrest posted their closest win since March 6, 2025 on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Rancho Verde Mustangs 40-37. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Trojans also won the last time the pair played back in December of 2022.

Zanylah Jackson

Steals

01/16/26 @ Rancho Verde	10
01/07/26 @ Perris	7
12/03/25 vs Elsinore	7
01/10/26 @ Scripps Ranch	6
01/02/26 @ Redlands East Valley	5
+ 13 more games

Hillcrest had a senior duo take command as Zanylah Jackson dropped a double-double with 12 points and ten steals and Zoey Boulware dropped a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Trojans are 4-2 when Jackson posts five or more steals, but 6-10 otherwise. Raylene Valadez was another key player, putting up eight points.

The win snapped Hillcrest's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 10-12 record. As for Rancho Verde, their loss was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-14.

Hillcrest didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 67-23 defeat against King on the 17th. As for Rancho Verde, they will take on Perris at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.