Basketball Game Preview: Sierra Pacific Golden Bears vs. Pacifica Tritons

Two dominant guards in Nevin Pitkin and Tommy Williams are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Sierra Pacific Golden Bears will take on the Pacifica Tritons in a tournament on Thursday. One thing working in Sierra Pacific's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.

Sierra Pacific managed to keep up with Lemoore until halftime on Thursday, but things quickly went downhill from there. Sierra Pacific might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Lemoore an easy 78-56 win. While losing is never fun, the Golden Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 652nd, while the Tigers are ranked 324th).

Defeat or not, Sierra Pacific got some senior leadership from Colin Dodd and Pitkin. Dodd posted 21 points and seven rebounds, while Pitkin put up 16 points. Pitkin is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Owen Parry, who earned six points.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Pacifica, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They came out on top against Rancho Mirage by a score of 63-56 on Saturday.

Pacifica's win came from a few key players Sierra Pacific will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Isaiah Dillon, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine assists. That's the most assists he has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Williams, who posted 21 points and three blocks.

Sierra Pacific's loss dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Pacifica, their victory ended an 11-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 6-5.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sierra Pacific has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24 boards per game. However, it's not like Pacifica struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.