After three games on the road, Rio Mesa is heading back home. They will take on the Ventura Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Rio Mesa focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 17 on Monday.
Rio Mesa suffered their closest loss since December 29, 2023 on Monday. They fell just short of Buena by a score of 54-51. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Rio Mesa in their matchups with Buena: they've now lost five in a row.
Jackson Knowles put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 18 points along with four steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of John Moreno, who scored nine points along with six rebounds.
Even though Ventura has not done well against San Marcos recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Ventura walked away with a 67-54 win over San Marcos. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Ventura.
Parsa Kamali continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 24 points along with four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Travis Valenzuela was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with seven rebounds.
Rio Mesa has not been sharp recently, as they've lost 12 of their last 14 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-15 record this season. As for Ventura, their victory bumped their record up to 8-13.
Wednesday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Rio Mesa have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Ventura struggles in that department as they've made 41.8% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Rio Mesa came up short against Ventura in their previous matchup on January 5th, falling 57-52. Will Rio Mesa have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
