Basketball Game Preview: Verdugo Hills Dons vs. North Hollywood Huskies

Verdugo Hills is 10-0 against North Hollywood since May of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Verdugo Hills Dons will head out on the road to take on the North Hollywood Huskies at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Verdugo Hills' favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four matches.

Verdugo Hills is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Chavez: they outscored them in every quarter. Verdugo Hills blew past Chavez 75-49 on Wednesday. The Dons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 23 points or more this season.

Rayleen Castanos was her usual excellent self, going 10 for 24 en route to 27 points in addition to eight boards and seven blocks. That's the most points she has posted since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Lilly Opper, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 13 points and five rebounds.

Verdugo Hills was working as a unit and finished the game with 27 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, North Hollywood played a tough matchup on Saturday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Verdugo Hills, falling 81-51. While losing is never fun, the Huskies can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 936th, while the Dons are ranked 239th).

Verdugo Hills' win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-6. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.3 points per game. As for North Hollywood, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-13 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Verdugo Hills against North Hollywood in their previous matchup on Saturday, as the squad secured an 81-51 victory. In that game, Verdugo Hills amassed a halftime lead of 57-26, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.