Thousand Oaks is 2-8 against the Panthers since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Thousand Oaks Lancers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Newbury Park Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Thousand Oaks will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps California Rankings (they are ranked 422nd, while the Panthers are ranked 168th).
Even though Thousand Oaks has not done well against the Chargers recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Thousand Oaks really took it to the Chargers for the full four quarters, racking up a 63-21 win on the road. The victory was just what Thousand Oaks needed coming off of a 68-36 defeat in their prior match.
Newbury Park has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. Their tough 65-44 defeat to Westlake on Tuesday might stick with them for a while. Newbury Park found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and post 12 fewer assists than your opponent.
Despite their defeat, Newbury Park saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kimiko Carmer, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds and four steals, was perhaps the best of all. Carmer is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Greta Heath was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds.
Thousand Oaks' win bumped their record up to 12-14. As for Newbury Park, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 21-6 record this season.
Thousand Oaks barely slipped by the Panthers when the teams last played two weeks ago, winning 49-48. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Newbury Park's Kierabella Coletta-Todd, who scored 17 points along with four steals and two blocks. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Thousand Oaks still be able to contain Coletta-Todd? There's only one way to find out.
