Preview: Valley Vikings vs. Berthoud Spartans
The Valley Vikings will be playing in front of their home fans against the Berthoud Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Valley focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 27 on Tuesday.
Valley suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Tuesday. They were beaten by Resurrection Christian 70-23. Valley has struggled against Resurrection Christian recently, as their match on Tuesday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Valley got a good chunk of their points from the dynamic duo of
Nevaeh Jimenez and
Peyton Savolt, who each put up eight points. Jimenez also led the team in rebounds with ten.
Berthoud posted their biggest win since December 9, 2023 on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Sterling as Berthoud made off with a 62-40 victory. The win was just what Berthoud needed coming off of a 69-42 defeat in their prior contest.
Berthoud found their leader in underclassman Avery Pfohl, who scored 29 points along with five rebounds and four steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Pfohl has scored at least a third of Berthoud's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ellie Harper, who scored seven points along with two steals.
Valley has not been sharp recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-8 record this season. As for Berthoud, their win bumped their record up to 4-10.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Valley have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Berthoud 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.
Valley took a serious blow against Berthoud in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 67-32. Can Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
