The Acalanes Dons will head out on the road to take on the Alhambra Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with five consecutive losses for Acalanes and three for Alhambra.
Last Saturday, Acalanes ended up a good deal behind Benicia and lost 67-51. While losing is never fun, Acalanes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 457th, while Benicia is ranked 137th).
Despite the loss, Acalanes got a solid performance out of Liam Krackeler, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Quinn, who scored ten points.
Alhambra suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Saturday. They were beaten by Ygnacio Valley 89-56. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Despite the defeat, Alhambra got a solid performance out of Geo Alber, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Another player making a difference was Samuel Gillaspy, who scored 15 points.
Acalanes has been struggling recently, as they've lost ten of their last 13 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season. As for Alhambra, their loss was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 9-9.
Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Acalanes have been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 39.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Alhambra struggles in that department as they've drained 39.7% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Acalanes ended up a good deal behind Alhambra when the teams last played back in December of 2021, losing 54-38. Can Acalanes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
