Basketball Game Preview: California Pintos vs. Linn Wildcats

The California Pintos will head out on the road to take on the Linn Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. California will be strutting in after a win while Linn will be coming in after a loss.

Last Friday, everything went California's way against St. James as California made off with a 60-35 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Pintos.

Meanwhile, Linn was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their 12th straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost to Iberia at home by a 70-53 margin. One positive for the Wildcats, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.

California will need focus on slowing down Gus Peters, one of several Linn players who made an impact when they last played. He posted 20 points and four steals. That's the most steals Peters has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Bobby Winkelman, who went 5 of 8 en route to 11 points.

Even though they lost, Linn smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

California's win ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 5-3. As for Linn, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.

California was able to grind out a solid victory over Linn in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 67-59. The rematch might be a little tougher for California since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.