Basketball Game Preview: Chaparral Pumas vs. Murrieta Valley Nighthawks

The Chaparral Pumas will head out to face off against the Murrieta Valley Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Last Wednesday, Chaparral came up short against Great Oak and fell 57-49. While losing is never fun, the Pumas can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 413th, while the Wolfpack are ranked 150th).

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Murrieta Valley ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Vista Murrieta 77-75. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Nighthawks have posted since December 3, 2024.

Murrieta Valley's win came from a few key players Chaparral will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaizahn Lewis, who almost dropped a double-double on 27 points and nine boards. His evening made it 11 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Micah Smith was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 19 points and nine assists.

This is the second loss in a row for Chaparral and nudges their season record down to 11-9. As for Murrieta Valley, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 13-8.

Chaparral beat Murrieta Valley 76-64 when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Does Chaparral have another victory up their sleeve, or will Murrieta Valley turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.