Palm Desert is 9-1 against Palm Springs since January of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Palm Desert Aztecs will be playing at home against the Palm Springs Indians at 6:30 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Palm Desert unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Thursday. They were beaten by Shadow Hills 68-29. While losing is never fun, Palm Desert can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 581st, while Shadow Hills is ranked 73rd).
Despite the defeat, Palm Desert saw an underclassman step up: Katelyn Gallagher scored 13 points along with eight steals and six rebounds. That was a full 44.8% of Palm Desert's points, marking the 13th time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Tethal, who scored nine points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Palm Desert struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Shadow Hills racked up 14 assists.
Meanwhile, Palm Springs' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their third straight loss. They took a serious blow against Xavier Prep, falling 55-24. Palm Springs was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-11.
Despite the loss, Palm Springs had strong showings from Aja Walker, who scored seven points along with three steals, and Shayla Bates, who scored six points along with nine rebounds and two steals. Bates hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games.
Palm Desert's defeat dropped their record down to 10-6. As for Palm Springs, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-13 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Palm Desert have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Palm Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 44.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Palm Desert strolled past Palm Springs in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a score of 38-23. Does Palm Desert have another victory up their sleeve, or will Palm Springs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.