vs
| 01/22/24 - Home | 67-59 W |
| 01/03/24 - Away | 72-75 L |
| 01/23/23 - Away | 55-38 W |
| 01/04/23 - Home | 62-33 W |
| 01/24/22 - Home | 64-53 W |
| + 5 more games |
Lathrop has gone 9-1 against Ceres recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Lathrop Spartans will be playing at home against the Ceres Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Lathrop is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.3 points per game this season.
If Lathrop beats Ceres with 57 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Lathrop managed a 57-52 win over Grace Davis on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Lathrop.
Joseph Perkins continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 11 for 24 on his way to 29 points and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Justin Neal, who posted 11 points and five boards.
Meanwhile, Ceres came up short against Johansen on Wednesday, falling 62-37. The game marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Lathrop will have to contain Tremond Karriem as he made an impact in Ceres' last game. He put up no points and ten rebounds. What's more, Karriem also racked up two steals, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Manuel Ortega, who had five points in addition to eight boards and three steals.
Even though they lost, Ceres smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matchups.
Ceres has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-10 record this season. As for Lathrop, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lathrop has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Ceres struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lathrop was able to grind out a solid win over Ceres when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 67-59. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ortega, who went 7 of 11 from beyond the arc on his way to 25 points and seven rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Lathrop still be able to contain Ortega? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
