The Mission Viejo Diablos will be playing at home against the El Toro Chargers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Mission Viejo's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 73-52 walloping at the hands of Aliso Niguel. While losing is never fun, Mission Viejo can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 532nd, while Aliso Niguel is ranked 196th).
Despite their loss, Mission Viejo saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Alexander Frost, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Hudson Dunlap was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Meanwhile, El Toro pushed their score all the way to 75 on Wednesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 82-75 hit to the loss column at the hands of Dana Hills. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for El Toro in their matchups with Dana Hills: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite the defeat, El Toro had strong showings from Christian Jimenez, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Lydo Smith, who scored 21 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Kaleb Bass, who scored eight points along with six rebounds.
Mission Viejo has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-14 record this season. As for El Toro, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-15.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Mission Viejo have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for El Toro, though, as they've been averaging only 4.9 rebounds per game. Given Mission Viejo's sizeable advantage in that area, El Toro will need to find a way to close that gap.
Mission Viejo came up short against El Toro in their previous matchup last Wednesday, falling 52-45. Will Mission Viejo 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.
