The Hilmar Yellowjackets will head out on the road to face off against the Ceres Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hilmar is hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 85-44, which was the final score in Hilmar's tilt against Carmel on Saturday. Hilmar was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 55-28.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jason Moniz, who scored 15 points. Another player making a difference was Xavier Silveira, who scored 12 points.
Ceres has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matches by 27 points or more this season. They really took it to Central Valley for the full four quarters, racking up a 68-41 win on the road. The victory was just what Ceres needed coming off of a 63-43 loss in their prior game.
Ceres' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Carey Mastin led the charge by scoring 15 points along with six assists and four steals. Mastin is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gurman Dhaliwal, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds.
Hilmar's defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Ceres, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Hilmar have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Ceres, though, as they've been averaging only 32 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Hilmar came up short against Ceres in their previous meeting back in December of 2022, falling 48-37. Can Hilmar avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
