Rancho Cotate is 0-9 against Piner since December of 2014 but things could change on Wednesday. The Rancho Cotate Cougars will welcome the Piner Prospectors at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
While Rancho Cotate didn't have the best season last year (they finished 12-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Tamalpais 59-57. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 239th, while the Red Tailed Hawks are ranked 793rd), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Rancho Cotate relied on the efforts of Adam Pengel, who went 14 of 22 on his way to 30 points, and Izayah Rush, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Piner came into Monday's contest having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They simply couldn't be stopped on Monday as they easily beat Sonoma Academy 65-33. The match marked the Prospectors' most dominant win of the season.
Rancho Cotate better keep an eye on Apollo Pereira. He was instrumental in Piner's win, putting up 24 points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals. Pereira has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more blocks the last 11 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Tyler Coester, who posted ten points and five rebounds.
Piner's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-7. As for Rancho Cotate, their win bumped their record up to 10-2.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Rancho Cotate hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 68.5 points per game. However, it's not like Piner struggles in that department as they've been averaging 58.4 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Rancho Cotate suffered a grim 66-41 defeat to Piner in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Can Rancho Cotate avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
