Basketball Game Preview: Mar Vista Mariners vs. Hilltop Lancers

Having just played yesterday, the Mar Vista Mariners will get right back to it and host the Hilltop Lancers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Mar Vista knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Hilltop likes a good challenge.

Mar Vista will bounce into Thursday's contest after beating San Ysidro, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. Mar Vista came out on top against San Ysidro by a score of 67-60 on Wednesday.

Mar Vista's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Omar Krenbeh, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 boards. Krenbeh's evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Jahaziel Catano was another key player, dropping a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, Hilltop lost to O'Farrell Charter on the road by a 57-43 margin on Thursday.

Mar Vista will need focus on slowing down Roman Miramontes, one of several Hilltop players who made an impact when they last played. He went 5 of 10 en route to 12 points and eight boards. Another player making a difference was Adrian Alvarez, who posted 11 points.

Even though they lost, Hilltop smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Mar Vista's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-9. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.0 points per game. As for Hilltop, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-11 record this season.

Everything went Mar Vista's way against Hilltop in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as Mar Vista made off with an 81-55 win. Does Mar Vista have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hilltop turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.