Elk Grove has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Pleasant Grove Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Elk Grove focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Friday.
Elk Grove fought the good fight in their overtime game against Franklin but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 65-64 to the Wildcats. While losing is never fun, Elk Grove can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 552nd, while Franklin is ranked 74th).
The losing side was boosted by Liam Acido, who scored 23 points along with five rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. KyRee Fultz was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Grove's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They fell 61-51 to Jesuit.
Despite the loss, Pleasant Grove got a solid performance out of Carson Keplinger, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and five steals. Another player making a difference was Pharrell Williams, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Elk Grove has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season. As for Pleasant Grove, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 9-11.
Wednesday's contest will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Vinny Gonzales and Elijah Sykes. Gonzales has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 11.8 points and 2.5 rebounds. For his part, Sykes has averaged 18.1 points, 1.2 steals, and 4 assists.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's contest: Elk Grove have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 6.4 threes per game. It's a different story for Pleasant Grove, though, as they've been averaging only 5.4 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
