Basketball Recap: Spring Valley Falls Short Against Ranked Liberty

On Thursday, Spring Valley faced Liberty in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The match between the Spring Valley Grizzlies and the Liberty Patriots didn't end well, with the Spring Valley Grizzlies falling 43-28. The Grizzlies lost against the Patriots in their previous head to head back in January of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 60-24 score last time.

When it comes to explaining why Spring Valley lost, don't look at Mia Ervin. Despite the final result, she posted 16 points and six boards. That was a full 57.1% of Spring Valley's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points. Mckenyia Pittman was another key player, putting up four points and nine rebounds.

It was another big night for Satsuki Bradley, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine assists for Liberty. The dominant performance gave Bradley a new career-high in assists. Another player making a difference was Neviah Nick, who put up eight points along with five boards and four steals.

Grizzlies

Previous 5 Games

01/23/25 vs Liberty	28-43
01/21/25 vs Arbor View	67-57
01/16/25 vs Palo Verde	63-30
01/10/25 @ Las Vegas	69-29
01/07/25 @ Shadow Ridge	41-61

The loss snapped Spring Valley's winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 11-7 record. As for Liberty, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 12-6.

Coincidentally, both will both be playing Democracy Prep Agassi Campus the next time they take the court. Liberty will host Democracy Prep Agassi Campus at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, while Spring Valley will head out to face them at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.