Palm Valley is 2-8 against Desert Chapel since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Palm Valley FIREBIRDS will head out to challenge the Desert Chapel Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Desert Chapel will be up against a hot Palm Valley team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Palm Valley simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Joshua Springs Christian 69-30. With the FIREBIRDS ahead 44-15 at the half, the match was all but over already.
| 01/23/25 vs Joshua Springs Christian | 20 |
| 01/21/25 vs Weaver | 18 |
| 01/14/25 @ Noli Indian | 27 |
Palm Valley's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Alex Ratner, who dropped a triple-double on 20 points, 11 boards, and ten steals. The contest was Ratner's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Matteo Lam, who went 9 for 16 en route to 20 points in addition to eight assists and seven steals.
Meanwhile, Desert Chapel came tearing into Thursday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 62-7 victory over the Braves.
Desert Chapel's win came from a few key players Palm Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Parker Amezcua, who posted 12 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Felix Ochoa was another key player, going 5 of 11 on his way to 10 points in addition to eight boards and four steals.
Desert Chapel smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 33 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Palm Valley is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 21.0 points per game. As for Desert Chapel, they pushed their record up to 15-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Palm Valley has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 30.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Desert Chapel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 41.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Palm Valley came up short against Desert Chapel in their previous meeting on January 9th, falling 48-36. Can Palm Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
