Basketball Game Preview: Walnut Mustangs vs. Ayala Bulldogs

Walnut has gone 3-0 against Ayala recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Walnut Mustangs will venture away from home to take on the Ayala Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Walnut saw some tournament action on Saturday. They strolled past Wilson with points to spare, taking the game 66-49. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 258th, while the Wildcats are ranked 726th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Jeremiah Vasquez was a one-man wrecking crew for Walnut as he went 6 for 10 on his way to 16 points and five steals. That's the most steals Vasquez has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Myles Wainwright, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds.

Walnut smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Ayala was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Monday as they fell 61-57 to Kamehameha Hawai'i.

Walnut is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 12-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points per game. As for Ayala, their loss dropped their record down to 12-6.

Walnut strolled past Ayala in their previous matchup back in November of 2022 by a score of 91-73. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Ayala's Dylan Victorio, who went 12 of 16 on his way to 30 points and eight rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for Walnut to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.