The Escondido Cougars will head out to face off against the Patrick Henry Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Escondido is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Escondido Adventist Academy as Escondido made off with a 64-38 victory. The win was familiar territory for the Cougars, who have now won four games in a row.
Anaya McGlory
| 02/14/25 @ Ramona | 7 |
| 01/08/25 @ La Costa Canyon | 6 |
| 12/06/24 vs Classical Academy | 6 |
| 12/03/24 vs Hilltop | 6 |
| 11/25/24 @ Canyon Crest Academy | 6 |
| + 13 more games |
Escondido got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Anaya McGlory out in front who dropped a double-double with 21 points and 11 boards. McGlory also grabbed five steals, which is notable because Escondido is 5-2 when she posts at least five steals, but 5-11 otherwise. Naomi Gutierrez was another key player, dropping a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
Escondido smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 7.1 offensive boards per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 12.4.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Patrick Henry's strategy against Calipatria on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Patrick Henry blew Calipatria out of the water with a 72-11 final score. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Patrick Henry's win came from a few key players Escondido will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kimora Nears, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 13 boards. What's more, she also posted three steals, the most she's had since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ally Mangahis, who went 5-for-10 to rack up 13 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Patrick Henry has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.3 points over those games. As for Escondido, they pushed their record up to 10-13 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Escondido has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 20.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Patrick Henry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Escondido took their victory against Patrick Henry in their previous meeting back in December of 2019 by a conclusive 60-40. Will Escondido repeat their success, or does Patrick Henry have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
