The Santa Ynez Pirates will challenge the Cabrillo Conquistadores at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Santa Ynez will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Santa Ynez is headed into the contest having just posted their closest win since January 16, 2024 on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Templeton 43-41.
| 01/11/24 vs Templeton | 21 |
| 01/24/25 vs Templeton | 20 |
| 12/27/23 vs Strathmore | 17 |
| 02/02/24 @ Lompoc | 17 |
| 12/02/23 @ Lompoc | 16 |
Helina Pecile was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 18 points and 20 boards. That's the most rebounds she has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Lexi Molera, who posted four points along with six assists and three steals.
Santa Ynez smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Cabrillo posted their biggest win since November 22, 2024 on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 55-29 margin over Paso Robles. Given the Conquistadores' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 207th, while the Bearcats are ranked 449th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Santa Ynez better keep an eye on Sophia Austin. She was instrumental in Cabrillo's win, going 9 for 14 en route to 25 points and seven boards. Jasmyn Hughes was another key player, going 6 of 7 on her way to 14 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
Santa Ynez's victory bumped their record up to 12-7. As for Cabrillo, they are also on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Santa Ynez has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Cabrillo struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Santa Ynez lost to Cabrillo at home by a decisive 49-30 margin when the teams last played on January 10th. Will Santa Ynez have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
