Basketball Game Preview: Alta Loma Braves vs. Carter Lions

After both having extra time off, the Alta Loma Braves and the Carter Lions will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Alta Loma will be strutting in after a victory while Carter will be coming in after a defeat.

Two weeks ago, the stars were shining brightly for Alta Loma in a 52-34 win over Nogales. Given the Braves' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 438th, while the Nobles are ranked 979th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Alta Loma's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Finley Baird, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. Britain Hall was another key player, putting up 14 points along with five assists and four steals.

Alta Loma was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, after a string of 11 wins dating back to last season, Carter's good fortune finally ran out two weeks ago. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 43-42 to Sultana. The loss put an end to the Lions' undefeated start to the season.

Alta Loma pushed their record up to 8-4 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.6 points per game. As for Carter, their loss ended a six-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 10-1.

Alta Loma was able to grind out a solid win over Carter in their previous meeting back in November of 2022, winning 56-44. The rematch might be a little tougher for Alta Loma since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.