Yucaipa is 2-8 against Redlands East Valley since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Yucaipa Thunderbirds will head out to take on the Redlands East Valley Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Yucaipa knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past ten matchups -- so hopefully Redlands East Valley likes a good challenge.
On Tuesday, Yucaipa strolled past Beaumont with points to spare, taking the game 60-45. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 214th, while the Cougars are ranked 519th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 01/07/25 vs Beaumont | 11 |
| 01/03/25 vs Norco | 14 |
| 12/30/24 vs Palm Desert | 8 |
| 12/28/24 vs Arrowhead Christian | 21 |
| 12/27/24 vs Serrano | 14 |
It was another big night for Jonathan Campbell, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 boards. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jaxon Lerma, who posted nine points in addition to seven rebounds and six assists.
Meanwhile, Redlands East Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. 2025 welcomed they with a 68-47 loss courtesy of Alta Loma. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 36-16.
Yucaipa will have to contain Demaj Moore as he made an impact in Redlands East Valley's last game. He dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 36.2% of Redlands East Valley's points, marking the third time in a row he's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Amari Smith, who posted seven points.
Even though they lost, Redlands East Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in seven consecutive games.
Redlands East Valley now has a losing record at 9-10. As for Yucaipa, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-3.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's contest: Yucaipa has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.4% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Redlands East Valley, though, as they've only made 28.1% of their three-pointers this season. Given Yucaipa's sizable advantage in that area, Redlands East Valley will need to find a way to close that gap.
Yucaipa couldn't quite finish off Redlands East Valley when the teams last played back in January of 2024 and fell 53-51. Can Yucaipa avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
