Preview: Churchill County Greenwave vs. Fernley Vaqueros
The Churchill County Greenwave will head out on the road to challenge the Fernley Vaqueros at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Churchill County focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 31 on Friday.
Last Friday, Churchill County faced Lowry in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Churchill County was dealt a 76-39 defeat at the hands of Lowry. Churchill County's defeat signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Churchill County's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jada Anastasio, who scored 19 points along with four steals, and Karlie Simper who scored seven points along with four steals. Simper continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played.
Meanwhile, Fernley stacked a 12th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard last Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 64-39 margin over South Tahoe. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Fernley has posted since December 8, 2023.
Fernley's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kaiserita Otuafi, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Otuafi has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Tollestrup, who scored 18 points along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Churchill County's defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 14-4. As for Fernley, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 17-1.
Wednesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Churchill County have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.2 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Fernley, though, as they've been averaging only 31.4 rebounds per game. Given Churchill County's sizeable advantage in that area, Fernley will need to find a way to close that gap.
Churchill County suffered a grim 47-26 defeat to Fernley in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Can Churchill County avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
