Vela is 8-2 against Pioneer since January of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Vela Sabercats will be playing at home against the Pioneer Diamondbacks at 7:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Vela comes in on eight and Pioneer on three.
Vela is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest 97-29 on Friday. The Sabercats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matches by 21 points or more this season.
| 01/03/25 vs Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest | 15 |
| 12/31/24 @ Rowe | 34 |
| 12/28/24 vs Sharyland | 25 |
| 12/20/24 @ McAllen | 19 |
| 12/17/24 vs McAllen Memorial | 25 |
It was another big night for Jordan Bustamante, who went 6 of 12 en route to 15 points along with six rebounds and five steals. His afternoon made it nine games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Lopez, who went 6 of 8 en route to 12 points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Vela smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Meanwhile, Pioneer posted their biggest win since December 5, 2024 on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 66-40 margin over Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest. With that victory, the Diamondbacks brought their scoring average up to 50.3 points per game.
Pioneer's win came from a few key players Vela will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Matthew Maldonado, who went 8 of 11 on his way to 21 points. He is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Muhamed Shaath, who went 7 of 11 on his way to 16 points and three steals.
Pioneer's win bumped their record up to 11-13. As for Vela, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 24-4 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Vela has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pioneer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Vela took their victory against Pioneer in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 63-41. Will Vela repeat their success, or does Pioneer have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
