Preview: Fountain Valley Danes vs. Peyton Panthers
Fountain Valley has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Peyton Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Fountain Valley's defense has only allowed 28 points per game this season, so Peyton's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Fountain Valley suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Tuesday. They were the victim of a rough 53-32 loss at the hands of DSST: Cedar. That's two games in a row now that Fountain Valley has lost by exactly 21 points.
Fountain Valley's defeat came about despite a quality game from Quin Lewis, who scored 19 points along with eight rebounds. That's the first time this season that Lewis pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Isabel Garza, who scored four points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Peyton put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They really took it to Swallows Charter Academy for the full four quarters, racking up a 93-15 victory on the road. Peyton has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Peyton relied on the efforts of Abbie Nickell, who scored 33 points, and AJ Mannering, who scored 44 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which Mannering has scored at least a third of Peyton's points. Another player making a difference was Emme Ratliff, who scored nine points.
Fountain Valley now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Peyton, they pushed their record up to 10-0 with that victory, which was their 15th straight on the road.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Fountain Valley have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Peyton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fountain Valley ended up a good deal behind Peyton when the teams last played back in February of 2023, losing 53-34. Thankfully for Fountain Valley, Shaylee Gee (who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 15 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
