Preview: Palomar Comets at San Diego Mesa Olympians

SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The Palomar Comets will look to rebound from a rare conference loss when they visit the San Diego Mesa Olympians in a California Community College men’s basketball matchup Friday night.

Palomar (13-6 overall) enters the contest after an 86-94 road loss to San Diego City on Jan. 23, which snapped a four-game winning streak. The Comets had been dominant in that stretch, averaging over 108 points per game in those victories.

The Olympians (9-12) have shown recent improvement, winning two of their last three games, including a 58-54 defensive battle against MiraCosta on Monday.

A key storyline will be whether Mesa can contain Palomar sophomore guard Jaidyn Norman. Norman is coming off a 25-point, 7-rebound performance in the loss to San Diego City and scored 28 points with 10 rebounds in a win over Grossmont on Jan. 16. In the teams’ first meeting this season, a 109-67 Palomar rout on Jan. 3, Norman contributed 14 points and 6 rebounds in just 22 minutes.

For Mesa, finding consistent offense will be critical. The Olympians have been held under 70 points in nine of their 12 losses this season, including the previous meeting with Palomar. Their recent win over MiraCosta, however, demonstrated an ability to grind out a low-scoring victory.

Historically, this series has favored Palomar, which has won the last five meetings by an average margin of 32 points. The Comets’ high-tempo offense, which has topped 100 points seven times this season, presents a significant challenge for the Olympians’ defense.

Following this game, Palomar will host Cuyamaca on Feb. 4, while San Diego Mesa travels to face San Diego Miramar the same day.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST at San Diego Mesa College.