Basketball Game Preview: Corona Panthers vs. Roosevelt Mustangs

Corona is 0-10 against Roosevelt since December of 2018 but things could change on Thursday. The Corona Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Roosevelt Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. Corona is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.3 points per game this season.

Corona is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They were outmatched by Centennial and fell 79-48. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 215th, while the Huskies are ranked 76th).

Corona's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Ava Liaga, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine assists, and Alex Flores, who posted 13 points. That's the most assists Liaga has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Aissis Ascensio, who earned six points and six boards.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Corona was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Roosevelt, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They really took it to Norco for the full four quarters, racking up a 77-17 victory. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 23 points or more this season.

Roosevelt's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-8. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 20.5 points per game. As for Corona, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 19-6.

Corona came up short against Roosevelt in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 52-40. Can Corona avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.