Preview: Citrus at Long Beach in California Junior College Men’s Basketball

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Interstat) — A surging Citrus College men’s basketball team will look to continue its dominant start to the season when it visits a struggling Long Beach City College squad on Tuesday night.

The Citrus Owls (7-1) enter the non-conference matchup riding a wave of high-scoring victories. Their only loss came in a double-overtime thriller at Fullerton, 116-113, on Nov. 21. Since then, they have won three straight, including a 133-91 rout of Mount San Jacinto and an 84-71 win over Cerritos last Saturday.

Guard JJ Sanchez has been a catalyst for the Owls’ offense. Over his last five games, Sanchez is averaging 16 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest. He posted 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win over Mount San Jacinto.

The Long Beach Vikings (2-7) snapped a five-game skid with a 73-69 road win at Orange Coast on Saturday. Their season has been marked by narrow defeats, including a 94-90 loss to Rio Hondo and a 72-65 overtime setback at Cypress.

The Vikings will lean on forward Kamron Fontenot, who is coming off a monumental performance. In the win over Orange Coast, Fontenot played 38 minutes and recorded 25 points and 14 rebounds. He has averaged 16.4 points and 7.5 rebounds over his last five outings.

Despite the stark contrast in records, a statistical projection from Interstat forecasts a tightly contested game, simulating a 100-100 draw.

Citrus has showcased a potent and balanced attack. In the win over Cerritos, Amiri Meadows added 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Rockwell Reynolds contributed 17 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Long Beach’s Lawrence Brown has been a consistent backcourt partner for Fontenot, dishing seven assists to go with 20 points in the team’s most recent victory.

Tuesday’s game is the final tune-up for Long Beach before it opens its home stand against Cuyamaca on Wednesday. Citrus continues its road stretch at East Los Angeles on Friday.