Basketball Game Preview: Oxnard Yellowjackets vs. Golden Valley Grizzlies

The Oxnard Yellowjackets will take on the Golden Valley Grizzlies in a tournament on Thursday. Oxnard has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Thursday, the stars were shining brightly for Oxnard in a 57-42 win over Newbury Park.

Sofia Salgado continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 8 of 17 en route to 19 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Sienna Angell, who posted 15 points and five assists.

Meanwhile, Golden Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. The match between them and Quartz Hill didn't end well, with Golden Valley falling 56-42.

Despite the loss, Golden Valley saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Krysta Ezenwa dropped a double-double on 18 points and 18 boards. That was a full 42.9% of Golden Valley's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points. Janice Orantes was another key player, putting up ten points and three steals.

Oxnard's victory bumped their record up to 9-4. As for Golden Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Oxnard has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Golden Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything came up roses for Oxnard against Golden Valley in their previous meeting back in November, as the squad secured a 65-17 win. Will Oxnard repeat their success, or does Golden Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.