Moreno Valley is 9-1 against Vista del Lago since February of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. Having just played yesterday, the Moreno Valley Vikings will get right back to it and host the Vista del Lago Ravens at 7:00 p.m. on January 18th. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
On Wednesday, Moreno Valley lost to Valley View at home by a decisive 60-44 margin.
Despite the loss, Moreno Valley got a solid performance out of Jamall Thompson, who scored 16 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Hayes, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, Vista del Lago's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of Paloma Valley by a score of 65-62. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Loss or not, Vista del Lago got some senior leadership from Freddy Alarcon and Julian Rivera. Alarcon scored 23 points, while Rivera. scored 13 points along with nine rebounds and five assists. Rivera continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Johnny Cowart, who scored six points.
Moreno Valley now has a losing record at 10-11. As for Vista del Lago, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-8 record this season.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the pair are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Moreno Valley hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 55.5 points per game. However, it's not like Vista del Lago struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 54.6 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Everything came up roses for Moreno Valley against Vista del Lago when the teams last played back in November of 2022 as the squad secured a 81-50 victory. Will Moreno Valley repeat their success, or does Vista del Lago have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
