Basketball Game Preview: Gabrielino Eagles vs. Calvary Baptist Cougars

The Gabrielino Eagles will venture away from home to face off against the Calvary Baptist Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Last Wednesday, Gabrielino came up short against Rosemead and fell 47-39.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Ava Yamashita, who posted 13 points. Another player making a difference was Kimiko Nagata, who had five points and seven assists.

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Calvary Baptist last Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew The Grove School out of the water with a 40-13 final score. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Ravens: they've now won nine in a row.

Gabrielino better focus on containing Kaylin Crewse and Camila Rodriguez as the pair were huge in Calvary Baptist's win. Crewse dropped a double-double with 21 points and ten steals, while Rodriguez dropped a triple-double with 15 points, 12 boards, and 12 steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which Crewse has scored at least a third of Calvary Baptist's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Rodriguez, who earned no points and 12 steals.

Calvary Baptist pushed their record up to 17-7 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 8.6 points over those games. As for Gabrielino, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-10.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Gabrielino has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Calvary Baptist struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.