Basketball Preview: Harding Skippers vs. Pymatuning Valley Lakers
The Harding Skippers will be playing at home against the Pymatuning Valley Lakers at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Harding has not had quite the year their fans were hoping for to this point, but back-to-back wins may be a sign of good things to come. They were the clear victor by a 37-16 margin over Kingsway Christian.
Madisen Mcfadden was her usual excellent self, scoring 22 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Harding's points. Madison Hunt was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with four blocks and two steals.
Pymatuning Valley was handed a 28-point loss in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against the Bombers on Thursday. Pymatuning Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bombers and snuck past 48-45. The victory was just what Pymatuning Valley needed coming off of a 59-31 defeat in their prior game.
Leah DeMoss continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 15 points along with five assists and two steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Taryn Tisch, who scored four points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Harding's win bumped their record up to 7-12. As for Pymatuning Valley, their win bumped their record up to 10-6.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Harding have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pymatuning Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Harding took a serious blow against the Lakers in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 50-10. Will Harding have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
