The Mission Hills Grizzlies came tearing into Friday's contest with 13 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 78-60 victory over Ramona. Given Mission Hills' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 80th, while Ramona is ranked 639th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
When it comes to explaining why Ramona lost, one person who can't be blamed is Chase Newman. Despite the final result, he scored 31 points along with five rebounds and four steals. That was a full 51.7% of Ramona's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Colin Dillon, who scored nine points.
Mission Hills pushed their record up to 18-6 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.3 points per game. As for Ramona, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost 12 of their last 14 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-15 record this season.
Mission Hills will head out on the road to challenge Rancho Bernardo at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Rancho Bernardo has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since January 8. As for Ramona, they will stay at home for another game and welcome Poway at 7:00 p.m. on January 31st. Poway knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Ramona likes a good challenge.
