Preview: Clearwater Valley Rams vs. Lapwai Wildcats
Clearwater Valley has enjoyed a eight-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Lapwai Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Clearwater Valley will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Idaho Rankings (they are ranked 69th, while Lapwai is ranked ninth).
Clearwater Valley suffered their biggest loss since December 8, 2023 on Friday. They suffered a tough 69-47 defeat at the hands of Potlatch. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Clearwater Valley has suffered against Potlatch since January 11, 2020.
Meanwhile, Lapwai entered their tilt with Genesee with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. Lapwai simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Genesee 105-43 on the road. Lapwai has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matches by 21 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Kase Wynott, who shot 5-for-8 from downtown and dropped a triple-double on 68 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Joseph Payne, who scored 21 points along with five assists.
Clearwater Valley has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-6 record this season. As for Lapwai, their win was their 12th straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-2.
Clearwater Valley was taken down by Lapwai 89-37 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Wynott, who shot 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 43 points and 16 rebounds. Now that Clearwater Valley knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
