Basketball Game Preview: Franklin Wildcats vs. Elk Grove Thundering Herd

The Franklin Wildcats will face off against the Elk Grove Thundering Herd at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Saturday, Franklin earned a 67-55 win over West. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 52nd, while the Wolfpack are ranked 210th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Aiden Rollins and Benjamin Sandy were among the main playmakers for Franklin as the former dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 rebounds and the latter went 7 of 12 en route to 19 points and six boards. Those 11 boards gave Rollins a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brandon Wasserman, who posted six points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Elk Grove suffered their closest defeat since December 7, 2023 on Monday. They fell just short of Ygnacio Valley by a score of 62-59.

Franklin will have to contain Noah Hargrave as he made an impact in Elk Grove's last game. He went 8 for 14 on his way to 20 points and six assists. Jason Raga was another key player, going 5 of 7 en route to 13 points.

Elk Grove's loss dropped their record down to 14-5. As for Franklin, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Franklin has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Elk Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Franklin strolled past Elk Grove in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a score of 65-47. Will Franklin repeat their success, or does Elk Grove have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.