Basketball Recap: Ferndale Comes Up Short

After flying high against Rockwood on Tuesday, Ferndale came back down to earth. The Yellow Jackets took a blow against the Turkeyfoot Valley Area Rams on Friday, falling 80-32. The Yellow Jackets have struggled against the Rams recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.

Xzavior Tatum

Points

12/05/25 vs Forbes Road	2
01/19/26 @ Belleville Mennonite	2
01/20/26 @ Rockwood	3
12/30/25 vs Rockwood	4
12/19/25 @ Conemaugh Valley	7

Despite the defeat, Ferndale saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Xzavior Tatum posted 20 points and six boards. Those 20 points set a new season-high mark for Tatum. Micah McGilvery also deserves some recognition as he grabbed his first steals of the season.

Turkeyfoot Valley Area's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lance Jones, who shot 63% from the field to rack up 28 points along with six assists and six rebounds. The contest was Jones' tenth in a row with at least 17 points. Bronson Perez was another key player, going 9-for-13 en route to 24 points and three steals.

Ferndale's loss dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Turkeyfoot Valley Area, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season.

Ferndale has already played their next game, a 71-52 win against Harmony Area on the 28th. As for Turkeyfoot Valley Area, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 64-34 victory against Blacklick Valley on the 28th.