Basketball Game Preview: Oxnard Yellowjackets vs. Rio Mesa Spartans

Oxnard has gone 10-0 against Rio Mesa recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Oxnard Yellowjackets will be playing at home against the Rio Mesa Spartans at 2:30 p.m. The timing is sure in Oxnard's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Rio Mesa has been banged up by 12 consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.

Oxnard is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 79-36 victory over Santa Barbara. Given the Yellowjackets' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Dons are ranked 860th), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Kayla Lumas continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 9 for 11 on her way to 20 points and seven steals. Her evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sienna Angell, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 14 points and five steals.

Oxnard smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Rio Mesa played a tough contest on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Ventura, falling 73-15. The game marked the Spartans' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Oxnard has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.1 points per game. As for Rio Mesa, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-11.

Everything came up roses for Oxnard against Rio Mesa in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the team secured an 88-28 win. Does Oxnard have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rio Mesa turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.