Basketball Game Preview: American Eagles vs. Bishop O'Dowd Dragons

The American Eagles will venture away from home to challenge the Bishop O'Dowd Dragons at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. American will be strutting in after a victory while Bishop O'Dowd will be coming in after a defeat.

American is headed into the match having just posted their biggest win since January 21st on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 57-35 margin over Kennedy. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 189th, while the Titans are ranked 625th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Shirina Shi

Points

02/14/25 vs Kennedy	17
02/12/25 @ Moreau Catholic	19
02/07/25 @ Washington	22
02/05/25 @ Mission San Jose	19
02/01/25 @ Foothill	25
+ 13 more games

American found their leader in sophomore Shirina Shi, who went 7-for-12 to rack up 17 points and three steals. Shi has been hot for a while, having posted 16 or more points the last 18 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Anika Batra, who posted 11 points.

American smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Meanwhile, Bishop O'Dowd didn't have quite enough to beat Oakland Tech on Thursday and fell 47-44.

American's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-6. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.3 points over those games. As for Bishop O'Dowd, their loss dropped their record down to 15-8.

American lost to Bishop O'Dowd on the road by a decisive 54-35 margin in their previous meeting back in January of 2023. Can American avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.