The Esparto Spartans will challenge the Fortune Early College Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Esparto has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Having struggled with ten losses in a row, Esparto turned things around against Delta on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged the Saints out 43-41. The Spartans' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
| 02/04/25 vs Delta | 16 |
| 01/28/25 @ Elite | 12 |
| 01/21/25 vs Leroy Greene Academy | 11 |
| 01/23/25 vs Westlake Charter | 9 |
| 01/30/25 @ Creative Connections Arts Academy | 3 |
Esparto found their leader in freshman Landon Yanez, who posted 16 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Yanez has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Rocky Boyd, who scored six points in addition to eight rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, Fortune Early College waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They took their game with ease, bagging a 68-29 win over the Lions. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 contests by 34 points or more this season.
Fortune Early College's win came from a few key players Esparto will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Malachi Hollingsworth, who put up 13 points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Kaden Bean, who had 13 points.
Fortune Early College has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 16 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 82.2 points per game. As for Esparto, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-15.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Esparto has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Fortune Early College struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Esparto was taken down by Fortune Early College 95-18 in their previous matchup back in January. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Esparto was down 60-9.
