Basketball Game Preview: Ambridge Bridgers vs. Quaker Valley Quakers

Ambridge hasn't had much luck against Quaker Valley recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Ambridge Bridgers will venture away from home to challenge the Quaker Valley Quakers at 7:30 p.m.

Ambridge is headed into Thursday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 11th straight game dating back to last season on Tuesday. They received a blow as they fell 69-54 to Sewickley Academy.

Meanwhile, Quaker Valley had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They walked away with a 62-49 win over the Raiders. The Quakers pushed the score to 56-31 by the end of the third, a deficit the Raiders cut but never quite recovered from.

Quaker Valley's win came from a few key players Ambridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zach Washington, who went 9 for 17 on his way to 23 points in addition to six assists and five boards. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 15.8 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Chapman, who posted 14 points along with eight rebounds and five assists.

Quaker Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive games dating back to last season.

Quaker Valley's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Ambridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.

Ambridge might still be hurting after the 82-61 loss they got from Quaker Valley in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Can Ambridge avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.