Basketball Game Preview: Hilltop Lancers vs. Crawford Colts

The Hilltop Lancers and the Crawford Colts will compete for holiday cheer at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.

Hilltop is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Kearny on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Hilltop was dealt an 83-46 defeat at the hands of Kearny. The Lancers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 37-12.

Despite the loss, Hilltop got top-tier performance from Roman Miramontes, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 17 rebounds. Miramontes has been hot recently, having posted nine or more boards the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Adrian Alvarez, who posted 12 points.

Meanwhile, Crawford's undefeated season came to an end after six games on Tuesday. They fell just short of El Cajon Valley by a score of 45-42. The game marked the Colts' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Hilltop will need focus on slowing down Mickelson Laguerre, one of several Crawford players who made an impact when they last played. He had 11 points and six steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Keontae Lewis, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 11 points.

This is the second loss in a row for Hilltop and nudges their season record down to 3-6. As for Crawford, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 6-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hilltop has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Crawford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Hilltop suffered a grim 54-29 defeat to Crawford in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Will Hilltop have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.