Basketball Game Preview: Palm Valley FIREBIRDS vs. Noli Indian Braves

Palm Valley is 8-0 against Noli Indian since December of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Palm Valley FIREBIRDS will look to defend their home court against the Noli Indian Braves at 3:30 p.m. Palm Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.6 points per game this season.

Palm Valley is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Desert Chapel just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 54-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Eagles. While the FIREBIRDS didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Eagles 17-9 in the first quarter.

Despite the defeat, Palm Valley had strong showings from Alex Ratner, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 boards, and Deshawn Tunmore, who posted 19 points in addition to eight rebounds and six steals. Ratner is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games he's played. Matteo Lam was another key player, putting up nine points along with seven assists and five steals.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Noli Indian). They blew past Weaver 66-19 on Tuesday. The win was some much needed relief for the Braves as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.

Noli Indian's win came from a few key players Palm Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Juan Flores, who scored 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Micheal Malone, who put up 18 points.

Noli Indian's victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-9. As for Palm Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 10-4.

Everything came up roses for Palm Valley against Noli Indian in their previous meeting on January 14th, as the team secured a 69-32 win. Will Palm Valley repeat their success, or does Noli Indian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.