ORANGE, Calif. (Interstat) — A key Orange Empire Conference men’s basketball matchup awaits Friday when the Santiago Canyon Hawks host the Irvine Valley Lasers.

The Hawks (15-6 overall) enter with the superior record and the confidence of a 73-69 victory at Irvine Valley on Jan. 14. The Lasers (12-10) are looking to halt a four-game skid and avenge that earlier defeat.

Santiago Canyon, despite a 64-84 loss at Cypress on Wednesday, has been strong at home. Jayden Oei has emerged as a consistent scoring threat for the Hawks. He poured in 18 points in the loss to Cypress and averaged 14.6 points over his last five contests.

Irvine Valley is coming off a 54-73 home loss to Saddleback on Wednesday. The Lasers will lean on forward Matt Mowers, who is coming off a 10-point, 8-rebound performance and has been a bright spot during the losing streak. Mowers recorded a 20-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist game against Santa Ana on Jan. 23 and posted a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists at Cypress on Jan. 30.

The Hawks’ balance will be tested against Mowers. In the Jan. 14 win, Santiago Canyon’s Paris Lassiter controlled the glass with 11 rebounds, while Dominic Bolton added 13 points off the bench.

Both teams are navigating a tight conference race. Following this game, Santiago Canyon travels to Orange Coast on Tuesday, while Irvine Valley hosts Riverside.

Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at Santiago Canyon College.