Basketball Game Preview: Meyersdale Red Raiders vs. Blacklick Valley Vikings

The Meyersdale Red Raiders will challenge the Blacklick Valley Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Meyersdale has struggled recently with five defeats in a row, while Blacklick Valley will arrive with six straight wins.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 43-10, which was the final score in Meyersdale's tilt against Berlin Brothersvalley on Monday. The match marked the Red Raiders' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, Blacklick Valley was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Turkeyfoot Valley Area 70-35. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 21 points or more this season.

Meyersdale better keep an eye on Kristin Szymusiak. She was instrumental in Blacklick Valley's win, going 11 of 18 en route to 27 points and seven steals. Szymusiak is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 39 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Josie Nedrich, who posted seven points along with nine assists and seven steals.

Blacklick Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in five consecutive matchups.

Blacklick Valley's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-1. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.9 points per game. As for Meyersdale, their loss dropped their record down to 2-9.

Meyersdale was dealt a bruising 55-28 defeat at the hands of Blacklick Valley in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Szymusiak, who went 7 for 11 on her way to 20 points and five steals. Now that Meyersdale knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.