The California Trojans will be playing in front of their home fans against the Jefferson-Morgan Rockets at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
California scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They walked away with a 77-66 win over Mapletown. That looming 77-66 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for California yet this season.
California's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Vincent Manzella led the charge by scoring 31 points along with five assists and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Manzella has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Noah Neil, who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Jefferson-Morgan unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of Monessen by a score of 58-55. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat Jefferson-Morgan has suffered against the Greyhounds since January 29, 2021.
Despite their loss, Jefferson-Morgan saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jase Bedilion, who scored 15 points along with seven steals, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Huston Guesman, who scored 11 points along with six assists and three steals.
California's win bumped their record up to 5-13. As for Jefferson-Morgan, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-7.
California came up short against the Rockets in their previous meeting back in January, falling 54-47. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Jefferson-Morgan's Dayten Marion, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 15 rebounds. Now that California knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
