The Orcutt Academy Spartans are taking a road trip to square off against the Mission College Prep Royals at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Orcutt Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.9 points per game this season.
Orcutt Academy will head into Tuesday's game on the come-up: they were handed a 26-point loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 57-55 win over Righetti. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 105th, while the Warriors are ranked 239th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 01/14/25 @ Righetti | 21 |
| 01/10/25 vs St. Joseph | 14 |
| 01/08/25 vs Paso Robles | 16 |
| 12/28/24 vs El Diamante | 20 |
| 12/27/24 vs Tehachapi | 14 |
Elizabeth Johnson was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 29 points and 21 rebounds. She has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more boards the last 25 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Rylie Allen, who posted four points and 14 rebounds.
Orcutt Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 24 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Mission College Prep suffered their biggest defeat since January 2, 2024 on Tuesday. They lost 60-35 to St. Joseph. The Royals have struggled against the Knights recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.
Orcutt Academy will have to contain Lillie Parish as she made an impact in Mission College Prep's last game. She had eight points in addition to seven boards and five steals. Mission College Prep is 8-3 when Parish posts three or more steals, but 1-3 otherwise.
Mission College Prep's loss dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Orcutt Academy, they pushed their record up to 13-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Orcutt Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 45.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mission College Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Orcutt Academy came up short against Mission College Prep in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 46-38. Can Orcutt Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
