The Granite Hills Eagles will be defending their home court for the first time this season when they go up against the Patrick Henry Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Last Wednesday, Granite Hills was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 38-33 to West Hills. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 678th, while the Wolf Pack are ranked 239th).
Granite Hills might have lost, but man, Kerstena Tomika was a machine: she posted 15 points. That was a full 45.5% of Granite Hills' points, marking the fifth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jillian Griffith, who put up six points.
While Patrick Henry didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They breezed by Monte Vista to the tune of 55-15 on Thursday. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 40 points or more this season.
Granite Hills better keep an eye on Kimora Nears. She was instrumental in Patrick Henry's win, dropping a double-double on 17 points and 15 boards. Nears is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down ten or more in the last eight games she's played. Another player making a difference was Honey Smith, who posted eight points.
Patrick Henry's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.7 points per game. As for Granite Hills, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-4.
Granite Hills was able to grind out a solid victory over Patrick Henry in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 37-28. Will Granite Hills repeat their success, or does Patrick Henry have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
