Basketball Game Preview: Vasquez Mustangs vs. The Palmdale Aerospace Academy Griffins

Vasquez and The Palmdale Aerospace Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. The Vasquez Mustangs will host The Palmdale Aerospace Academy Griffins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Vasquez knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past nine matchups -- so hopefully The Palmdale Aerospace Academy likes a good challenge.

Last Thursday, everything came up roses for Vasquez against Desert Christian as the team secured an 81-23 victory. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 21 points or more this season.

Carter Parker

Points

12/12/24 vs Desert Christian	19
12/11/24 vs Valley Torah	17
12/10/24 @ Faith Baptist	17
12/05/24 @ Glendale	16

Vasquez found their leader in freshman Carter Parker, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 19 points and eight rebounds. The contest was Parker's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Rowley, who posted ten points along with eight assists and five boards.

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell 70-62 to Faith Baptist on Thursday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Griffins came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 124th, while the Contenders are ranked 491st).

Vasquez will need focus on slowing down Sir-Gavin Epps, one of several The Palmdale Aerospace Academy players who made an impact when they last played. He went 5 of 10 on his way to 11 points and eight rebounds. Epps has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Sean Smith was another key player, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 14 boards.

Vasquez pushed their record up to 8-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 34.8 points. As for The Palmdale Aerospace Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-2.