Preview: Coalinga Falcons at Lemoore Golden Eagles

LEMOORE, Calif. (Interstat) — The Lemoore Golden Eagles will look to solidify their position in the conference standings when they host the struggling Coalinga Falcons in a California Community College men’s basketball matchup Friday night.

The Golden Eagles (14-13 overall) enter the contest seeking to rebound from a 73-65 road loss to Merced on Tuesday. Lemoore has been strong at home recently, winning three of its last four games at home, including an 80-54 victory over Porterville on Feb. 4.

Coalinga (2-25) is mired in a prolonged slump, having lost 16 consecutive games. The Falcons are coming off a 105-69 road defeat to Columbia on Tuesday. Their last win came on Nov. 22.

The teams met just over three weeks ago in Coalinga, with Lemoore securing a decisive 79-51 victory on Jan. 28.

A key player to watch for Lemoore is guard Davion Jackson, who scored 20 points in the loss to Merced. For Coalinga, forward Whylkeems Estimond has been a bright spot amidst the losses, recording four double-doubles in his last seven games. In a narrow 78-75 loss to Reedley on Feb. 14, Estimond posted a notable line of 18 rebounds, 8 points, 3 assists and 4 blocks.

Lemoore’s offense will likely lean on Jackson alongside contributors like Na’Jae Stevenson, who had 12 rebounds and 3 blocks against Merced, and Mykayle McCoy, who added 15 points and 8 assists in that game.

Coalinga’s challenge will be to find consistent scoring beyond Estimond and to slow a Lemoore team that won the prior meeting by 28 points. The Falcons have lost nine straight games by double digits.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST at the Lemoore College gymnasium.