Two dominant forwards in Ruby Cartwright and JLynn Mitchell are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Sunnyside Wildcats will host the Torres Toros at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Sunnyside is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They managed a 53-47 win over Porterville last Monday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Wildcats as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Cartwright was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 32 points and 14 rebounds. That makes it eight consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Sunnyside's points. Ja'Kirah Standifer was another key player, putting up seven points.
Meanwhile, Torres had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points) and they went ahead and made it seven on Friday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 59-15 win over the Highlanders. The Toros have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 21 points or more this season.
Sunnyside better keep an eye on Mitchell. She was instrumental in Torres' win, going 10 for 20 on her way to 23 points and six steals. Mitchell has been hot recently, having posted five or more steals the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ariana Garcia, who posted eight points in addition to eight boards and five assists.
Torres smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in November of 2023.
Torres pushed their record up to 12-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.6 points per game. As for Sunnyside, their win ended an 11-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sunnyside has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Torres struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Sunnyside couldn't quite finish off Torres when the teams last played back in February and fell 46-43. Can Sunnyside avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
