Basketball Game Preview: Hart Hawks vs. Valencia Vikings

Two dominant guards in Morgan Mack and Kamilla Basyrova are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Hart Hawks will take on the Valencia Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Hart will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.

On Tuesday, Hart earned a 45-38 win over Canyon. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 68th, while the Cowboys are ranked 242nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Valencia's strategy against Golden Valley on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Valencia blew Golden Valley out of the water with a 60-18 final score. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 25 points or more this season.

Hart better focus on containing Basyrova and Cara McKell as the pair were huge in Valencia's win. Basyrova went 9 of 17 en route to 23 points along with five assists and three steals, while McKell went 8 of 9 on her way to 22 points. That makes it three consecutive games in which Basyrova has scored at least a third of Valencia's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keira McLaughlin, who posted seven points in addition to five assists and five boards.

Valencia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 11 consecutive contests.

Valencia's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-3. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points per game. As for Hart, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Hart against Valencia in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the squad secured a 65-35 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hart since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.