Basketball Game Preview: Costa Mesa Mustangs vs. Westminster Lions

The Costa Mesa Mustangs will venture away from home to challenge the Westminster Lions at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday. Costa Mesa is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.

Costa Mesa will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Ocean View, who they had gone 0-3 against in their three prior meetings. Costa Mesa took down Ocean View 50-36 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Westminster lost to Laguna Hills at home by a 48-31 margin on Thursday. While losing is never fun, the Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 909th, while the Hawks are ranked 441st).

Costa Mesa's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-13. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.3 points per game. As for Westminster, they have been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last 11 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-16 record this season.

Costa Mesa came out on top in a nail-biter against Westminster in their previous matchup two weeks ago, sneaking past 57-54. The rematch might be a little tougher for Costa Mesa since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.