The Foothill Mustangs and the Rio Linda Knights will compete for holiday cheer at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Foothill is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Foothill is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Twelve Bridges on Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Foothill took a blow against Twelve Bridges, falling 54-15. The Mustangs were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-5.
They got a good chunk of their points from the dynamic duo of Maryssa Arnold and Joyce Runner, who each put up six points.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Rio Linda, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They put the hurt on Center with a sharp 57-34 win last Tuesday. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 23 points or more this season.
Rio Linda's win came from a few key players Foothill will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was LaRay Mitchell, who went 7 of 14 on her way to 16 points in addition to six boards and six steals. Her evening made it six games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mariah Walton, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine steals.
Rio Linda smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in eight consecutive matches.
Rio Linda pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 34.2 points. As for Foothill, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-9.
Foothill might still be hurting after the 60-35 loss they got from Rio Linda in their previous meeting back in December of 2019. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Foothill was down 35-12.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
