Preview: Fort Lupton Bluedevils vs. Valley Vikings
The Fort Lupton Bluedevils will look to defend their home court on Monday against the Valley Vikings at 5:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Fort Lupton has three straight wins, Valley has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Fort Lupton put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 54-26 win over The Pinnacle at home.
Fort Lupton found their leader in underclassman Marely Gomez, who almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine steals. Gomez is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Daniella Aviles, who scored ten points along with five steals.
Meanwhile, Valley was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 33-27 to Weld Central.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Kendyll Mayhugh, who scored nine points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Brianna Orona, who scored four points.
Fort Lupton is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-11 record this season. As for Valley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-13 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Fort Lupton have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fort Lupton lost to Valley at home by a decisive 35-19 margin in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Can Fort Lupton avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
