The Vista del Lago Eagles will square off against the Bella Vista Broncos at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Tuesday, Vista del Lago was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 59-54 to Ponderosa. The Eagles haven't had much luck with the Bruins recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Meanwhile, Bella Vista was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They took a 59-44 bruising from Woodcreek. While losing is never fun, the Broncos can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 628th, while the Timberwolves are ranked 61st).
Vista del Lago will have to contain Mark Otrotsyuk as he made an impact in Bella Vista's last game. He went 6 for 11 en route to 19 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Those six boards gave Otrotsyuk a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cael Bird, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 10 points and eight rebounds.
Even though they lost, Bella Vista smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive contests.
Vista del Lago's defeat dropped their record down to 11-8. As for Bella Vista, their loss dropped their record down to 7-13.
Vista del Lago was able to grind out a solid win over Bella Vista in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, winning 76-64. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Bella Vista's Mikey Simonyan, who went 13 for 20 en route to 40 points. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Vista del Lago to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
