Basketball Game Preview: Natomas Nighthawks vs. El Camino Eagles

The Natomas Nighthawks will challenge the El Camino Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Saturday, Natomas was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 71-65 to Christian Brothers. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (62), the Nighthawks still had to take the loss.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Manno Jenkins, who went 6 for 15 on his way to 25 points. The game was his 13th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alfred Wilkins, who posted 16 points in addition to five assists and three steals.

Meanwhile, El Camino didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Bear River last Saturday, but they still walked away with a 66-62 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Eagles.

Natomas better keep an eye on Mitchell Stevenson. He was instrumental in El Camino's win, putting up 24 points. Those 24 points gave Stevenson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tolu Olotu, who put up 12 points.

El Camino has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.5 points per game. As for Natomas, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-5.

Natomas was able to grind out a solid win over El Camino in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 75-63. Does Natomas have another victory up their sleeve, or will El Camino turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.