Basketball Game Preview: Natomas Nighthawks vs. Dixon Rams

The Natomas Nighthawks will head out on the road to take on the Dixon Rams at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Natomas has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last five games.

Natomas is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed by Rio Linda to the tune of 90-44 on Tuesday. Given the Nighthawks' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 241st, while the Knights are ranked 1219th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Manno Jenkins continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 6 for 11 on his way to 15 points in addition to eight assists and eight boards. Those eight assists gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aeron Wallace, who went 6 of 10 on his way to 16 points and four steals.

Natomas smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Dixon came up short against Woodland on Tuesday and fell 62-51.

Natomas pushed their record up to 9-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.8 points per game. As for Dixon, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-7 record this season.

Natomas ended up a good deal behind Dixon in their previous matchup back in January of 2018, losing 60-43. Thankfully for Natomas, Jake Giardino (who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.