Basketball Game Preview: Canyon Cowboys vs. Valencia Vikings

The Canyon Cowboys will face off against the Valencia Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Canyon's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three games.

Valencia is facing Canyon at the wrong time: Canyon suffered their first home loss of the season last Saturday and they're likely out for redemption. They came up short against the Coyotes, falling 93-70. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (55), the Cowboys still had to take the loss.

Despite their defeat, Canyon saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Darby Dunn, who went 11 for 18 on her way to 33 points and five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. That was a full 47.1% of Canyon's points, marking the third time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Shannen Wilson, who went 7 of 13 on her way to 17 points.

Meanwhile, Valencia unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Saturday. The matchup between them and Chaminade didn't end well, with Valencia falling 72-53.

Canyon's loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 9-9. As for Valencia, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-3.

Canyon was able to grind out a solid victory over Valencia in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 60-47. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Valencia's Cara McKell, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 14 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Canyon still be able to contain McKell? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.