Basketball Game Preview: The Palmdale Aerospace Academy Griffins vs. Vasquez Mustangs

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy and Vasquez are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. The Palmdale Aerospace Academy Griffins are headed away from home for the first time to face off against the Vasquez Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy is headed into Monday's contest hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight losses. They took a 70-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of Faith Baptist on Thursday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Griffins came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 124th, while the Contenders are ranked 491st).

Sir-Gavin Epps

Steals

12/12/24 vs Faith Baptist	2
12/10/24 vs St. Monica Academy	2
12/09/24 vs Excelsior Charter	2
12/07/24 vs Arvin	2

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Sir-Gavin Epps, who went 5 of 10 en route to 11 points and eight rebounds. He has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Sean Smith, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Vasquez waltzed into their game on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They breezed by the Knights to the tune of 81-23. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 21 points or more this season.

Vasquez found their leader in freshman Carter Parker, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 19 points and eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Rowley, who posted ten points in addition to eight assists and five boards.

Vasquez pushed their record up to 8-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 34.8 points. As for The Palmdale Aerospace Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-2.

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy lost to Vasquez on the road by a decisive 74-58 margin in their previous meeting back in January. Can The Palmdale Aerospace Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.