Basketball Game Preview: Yucaipa Thunderbirds vs. Cajon Cowboys

The Yucaipa Thunderbirds will head out to face off against the Cajon Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Yucaipa sitting on 12 straight victories and Cajon on three.

Last Tuesday, everything came up roses for Yucaipa against Redlands as the squad secured a 62-32 win. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 204th, while the Terriers are ranked 1112th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Yucaipa's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaxon Lerma, who went 5 for 6 en route to 15 points in addition to five boards and three steals. Another player making a difference was Jonathan Campbell, who went 5 of 7 on his way to 10 points and seven rebounds.

Yucaipa smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Cajon's game on Tuesday was all tied up 25-25 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They came out on top against Citrus Valley by a score of 63-51.

Yucaipa is also on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.0 points per game. As for Cajon, they pushed their record up to 12-7 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.

Yucaipa strolled past Cajon when the teams last played back in January of 2024 by a score of 58-44. Will Yucaipa repeat their success, or does Cajon have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.