The Conemaugh Valley Blue Jays and the Ferndale Yellow Jackets will face off at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with eight losses in a row, Conemaugh Valley turned things around against Shade on Friday. They took down the Panthers 54-38. The Blue Jays' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Penelope Reininger
| 12/27/24 @ Shade | 5 |
| 12/10/24 @ West Shamokin | 4 |
| 01/03/24 vs Cambria Heights | 3 |
| 01/29/24 vs Blacklick Valley | 3 |
| 02/02/24 vs Northern Cambria | 3 |
Conemaugh Valley got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Penelope Reininger out in front who posted 20 points along with five steals and three blocks. The dominant performance gave Reininger a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Gwen Masser, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 boards.
While Ferndale didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They secured a 37-31 W over Claysburg-Kimmel on Friday.
Ferndale's win came from a few key players Conemaugh Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Abby Barley, who had 14 points and four steals. Lindsey Leverknight was another key player, putting up four points along with ten rebounds and four steals.
Ferndale smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in eight consecutive games.
Ferndale pushed their record up to 6-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Conemaugh Valley, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Conemaugh Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Ferndale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Conemaugh Valley couldn't quite finish off Ferndale in their previous matchup two weeks ago and fell 52-49. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ferndale's Deajah Chatman, who went 9 of 16 on her way to 24 points and eight rebounds. Now that Conemaugh Valley knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
