Pioneer is 2-8 against the Sabercats since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Pioneer Diamondbacks will be playing at home against the Vela Sabercats at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Tuesday, everything went Pioneer's way against the Javelinas as the Diamondbacks made off with a 68-44 win. Given Pioneer's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 617th, while the Javelinas are ranked 1547th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pioneer had a senior duo take command as Edward Chavez scored 17 points along with four steals and Julian Valdez scored 12 points along with four steals. Chavez hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Matthew Maldonado, who scored nine points along with six assists.
Meanwhile, Vela stacked a 16th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They breezed by Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North on the road to the tune of 89-47. The victory was familiar territory for Vela who now have 13 in a row.
Axel Garza was his usual excellent self, scoring 21 points along with seven assists and six rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Bustamante, who scored 20 points.
Pioneer has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-12 record this season. As for Vela, their win was their 15th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 26-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Pioneer have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Vela struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Pioneer suffered a grim 73-49 defeat to the Sabercats in their previous matchup back in January. Will Pioneer have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
