The Merced Bears will head out to take on the El Capitan Gauchos at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
Merced is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Golden Valley just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 49-46. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Bears have suffered since December 18, 2024.
Meanwhile, El Capitan waltzed into their game on Wednesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They took down the Tigers 68-53. Given the Gauchos' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 277th, while the Tigers are ranked 576th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
El Capitan pushed their record up to 15-7 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.3 points per game. As for Merced, their loss dropped their record down to 14-9.
Merced came up short against El Capitan in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 56-46. Can Merced avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
