Marshall has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Gabrielino Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Marshall posted their biggest win yet this season on Friday. They blew past Mountain View 55-10 at home. Given Marshall's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 331st, while Mountain View is ranked 1181st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Marshall relied on the efforts of Destiny Ihiaso, who scored ten points along with five rebounds, and Kaitlan Sakuma, who scored nine points along with five assists and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Madelyn Degooyer, who scored eight points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Gabrielino made easy work of Arroyo on Friday and carried off a 50-24 victory. The win made it back-to-back wins for Gabrielino.
Gabrielino's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Paris Ngeam led the charge by scoring 12 points along with five rebounds and five steals. Ngeam continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Sarah Banh was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five assists and four steals.
Marshall's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-6. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.4 points per game. As for Gabrielino, their victory bumped their record up to 11-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Marshall have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Gabrielino, though, as they've been averaging only 24.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Marshall came up short against Gabrielino when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 50-39. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gabrielino's Mia Lim, who scored 31 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Now that Marshall knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
