After both having extra time off, the Hoopa Valley Warriors and the Etna Lions will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hoopa Valley knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matchups -- so hopefully Etna likes a good challenge.
While Hoopa Valley didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They escaped with a win last Saturday against Amador by the margin of a single free throw, 72-71. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 372nd, while the Buffaloes are ranked 888th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hoopa Valley got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Lyle Mckinnon out in front who went 7 for 11 on his way to 19 points and seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Brandon Romero, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 boards.
Meanwhile, Etna came up short against Hamilton last Friday and fell 55-45. The Lions have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Hoopa Valley has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.6 points per game. As for Etna, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Hoopa Valley strolled past Etna in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 by a score of 71-55. Will Hoopa Valley repeat their success, or does Etna have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
