Preview: Encina Prep Bulldogs vs. Futures Knights
The Encina Prep Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Futures Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Encina Prep's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 13 games.
Even though Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning scored an imposing 71 points on Thursday, Encina Prep still came out on top. Encina Prep snuck past Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning with a 77-71 victory.
Encina Prep's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Phillip Worsham, who scored 25 points along with seven assists and five rebounds. Worsham hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Nate Wroten, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Futures waltzed into their contest on Thursday with five straight wins but they left with six. They really took it to Victory Christian for the full four quarters, racking up a 80-48 victory on the road. Futures has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 23 points or more this season.
Futures' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Keylen Garth, who scored 19 points along with six assists and three steals. Garth is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Daniel Kozlov was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Encina Prep has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. As for Futures, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-5.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Encina Prep hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 71.1 points per game. However, it's not like Futures struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 65.3 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Encina Prep was able to grind out a solid win over Futures in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 69-61. The rematch might be a little tougher for Encina Prep since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
