Basketball Game Preview: Bakersfield Drillers vs. Highland Scots

Bakersfield and Highland are an even 3-3 against one another since May of 2021, but not for long. The Bakersfield Drillers are taking a road trip to challenge the Highland Scots at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Bakersfield is headed into the game having just posted their biggest victory since December 11, 2024 on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 79-53 margin over Edison. Given the Drillers' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 212th, while the Tigers are ranked 978th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Bakersfield relied on the efforts of Kade Johnson, who went 8 of 12 en route to 21 points along with five assists and three steals, and Rashaan Shehee, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten assists. That's the most assists Johnson has posted since back in November of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Dominic Contreras, who posted 14 points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Highland). They blew past Golden Valley 72-30 on Tuesday. The Scots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 26 points or more this season.

Highland's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-7. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.7 points per game. As for Bakersfield, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 11-6.

Bakersfield was able to grind out a solid win over Highland in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 50-37. Does Bakersfield have another victory up their sleeve, or will Highland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.