Calexico Mission hasn't had much luck against Warner recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Calexico Mission RoadRunners will face off against the Warner Wildcats at 5:00 p.m.
Last Wednesday, Calexico Mission came up short against Julian and fell 50-40. The RoadRunners have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their defeat, Calexico Mission saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Leonardo Li, who posted 15 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Sergio Jacobo, who had six points in addition to 13 boards and five steals.
Meanwhile, Warner entered their tilt with Julian on Monday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They blew past the Eagles 69-43. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 37-13.
Calexico Mission better focus on containing Malachi Lozano and Anthony Porras as the pair were huge in Warner's win. Lozano dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Porras went 8 for 15 en route to 17 points along with seven assists and six boards. The dominant performance also gave Lozano a new career-high in assists (five). Johnny Garcia was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Warner smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive games.
Warner is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.9 points per game. As for Calexico Mission, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Calexico Mission has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Warner struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Calexico Mission was dealt a bruising 54-22 defeat at the hands of Warner in their previous matchup back in January. Can Calexico Mission avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
