Thunder Ridge hasn't had much luck against Northern Valley recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Thunder Ridge Longhorns are taking a road trip to take on the Northern Valley Huskies at 5:30 p.m. Thunder Ridge will be strutting in after a victory while Northern Valley will be coming in after a loss.
Thunder Ridge will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up 17 points on Saturday, then bounced right back against Natoma on Tuesday. Thunder Ridge claimed a resounding 55-24 win over Natoma. The Longhorns have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 24 points or more this season.
Thunder Ridge's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Evan Slavik, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 boards, and Connor Engelke, who went 6 of 10 on his way to 14 points and eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Tate Foreman, who posted seven points and three steals.
Thunder Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, in Friday's Canine Competition, Northern Valley didn't have enough. They had to suffer through a 52-23 loss at the hands of Weskan. The Huskies were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 30-10.
Thunder Ridge will have to contain Gavin Thalheim as he made an impact in Northern Valley's last game. He had eight points in addition to ten rebounds and four steals.
Northern Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Thunder Ridge, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Thunder Ridge has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Northern Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Thunder Ridge was taken down by Northern Valley 62-29 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Thunder Ridge was down 40-12.
