Basketball Game Preview: Hilmar Yellowjackets vs. Beyer Patriots

The Hilmar Yellowjackets and the Beyer Patriots will face off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Hilmar will head into Thursday's game on the come-up: they were handed a 22-point loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They skirted past St. Vincent de Paul 55-53. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Yellowjackets' disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1094th, while the Mustangs are ranked 423rd).

Hilmar's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Xavier Silveira led the charge by putting up 17 points and six boards. Riley Quintero was another key player, going 5 of 11 on his way to 14 points and five rebounds.

Hilmar was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Beyer made easy work of Bret Harte on Thursday and carried off a 76-53 win. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 23 points or more this season.

Hilmar has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 4-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.3 points per game. As for Beyer, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.

Hilmar suffered a grim 67-44 defeat to Beyer in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Can Hilmar avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.