Basketball Game Preview: Grand Valley Mustangs vs. Pymatuning Valley Lakers

The Grand Valley Mustangs will challenge the Pymatuning Valley Lakers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Grand Valley is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Lakeview just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Monday. They took a 65-53 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Pymatuning Valley came tearing into Friday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 36-17 win over the Panthers.

Pymatuning Valley's win came from a few key players Grand Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zoey Painter, who posted eight points along with five rebounds and four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jolene Sharpe, who scored six points in addition to 11 boards and four steals.

Pymatuning Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive games.

Pymatuning Valley pushed their record up to 9-4 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.4 points per game. As for Grand Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-3.

Grand Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Pymatuning Valley in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, sneaking past 37-35. The rematch might be a little tougher for Grand Valley since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.