Basketball Game Preview: Escalon Cougars vs. Kimball Jaguars

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Escalon Cougars duke it out with the Kimball Jaguars at 12:00 p.m. on Friday... Escalon is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.

On Monday, Escalon was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 47-43 to Patterson. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 634th, while the Tigers are ranked 114th).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Kimball). They blew past Bear Creek 74-37 on Tuesday. The Jaguars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 32 points or more this season.

Escalon better keep an eye on Emma Coronado. She was instrumental in Kimball's win, going 8 of 17 en route to 24 points and five steals. Coronado is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabrielle Robinson, who posted nine points along with six rebounds and three steals.

Kimball smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in seven consecutive contests.

Kimball's victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.3 points per game. As for Escalon, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7.