After both having extra time off, the West Panthers and the Olympus Titans will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as West comes in on nine and Olympus on five.
West saw some tournament action last Saturday. It was close, but they ultimately received the gift of a 61-58 win from a begrudging Panthers squad. Given their advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked fourth in Utah, while the Royals are ranked 137th in California), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/21/24 vs Rosary Academy | 8 |
| 12/20/24 vs Brentwood School | 5 |
| 12/19/24 @ Mission Hills | 8 |
| 12/18/24 @ Esperanza | 5 |
| 12/12/24 @ West Jordan | 4 |
Kylee Falatea and Fina Tuha were among the main playmakers for West as the former went 7 for 15 on her way to 14 points in addition to eight steals and six assists and the latter almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine boards. Falatea is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 28 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tiana Fa, who posted seven points and eight rebounds.
West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, everything went Olympus' way against Uintah last Friday as Olympus made off with a 62-36 victory. That looming 62-36 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Titans yet this season.
Olympus had a senior duo take command as Joss Baker almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds and Claire Hazen went 7 of 14 on her way to 19 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which Baker has scored at least a third of Olympus' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Breanna Kitiona, who posted nine points and eight rebounds.
Olympus pushed their record up to 5-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. As for West, their victory bumped their record up to 9-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: West has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 56.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Olympus struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
West took their win against Olympus in their previous matchup back in January by a conclusive 65-41. Does West have another victory up their sleeve, or will Olympus turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
