El Rancho is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Santa Fe is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The El Rancho Dons will host the Santa Fe Chiefs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
On Friday, El Rancho needed a bit of extra time to put away California. They slipped by the Condors 56-55.
| 01/10/25 @ California | 25 |
| 01/08/25 @ La Serna | 13 |
| 01/03/25 vs El Monte | 12 |
| 12/20/24 vs Paramount | 8 |
| 12/21/24 vs Foothill | 6 |
El Rancho found their leader in sophomore Emery Riker, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 18 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Riker has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Alexis Saucillo, who posted six points and seven steals.
El Rancho smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 28.53 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Wednesday. They skirted past Whittier 59-56. Given the Chiefs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 318th, while the Cardinals are ranked 705th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Santa Fe's win came from a few key players El Rancho will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Abigail Cetina, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine boards. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in steals (seven). Roxy Beltran was another key player, going 9 for 19 on her way to 21 points and eight steals.
El Rancho is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.8 points per game. As for Santa Fe, their win bumped their record up to 17-2.
El Rancho was taken down by Santa Fe 55-26 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Will El Rancho have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
