Blacklick Valley has gone 9-1 against Ferndale recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Blacklick Valley Vikings will challenge the Ferndale Yellow Jackets at 7:15 p.m. Blacklick Valley has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
Blacklick Valley is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing West Branch: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Blacklick Valley blew West Branch out of the water with a 64-21 final score. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 21 points or more this season.
| 01/13/25 @ West Branch | 3 |
| 01/10/25 vs North Star | 7 |
| 01/09/25 @ Shade | 6 |
| 12/28/24 vs Windber | 3 |
| 12/27/24 @ Richland | 6 |
It was another big night for Kristin Szymusiak, who went 9 for 17 on her way to 20 points in addition to seven assists and seven boards. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 37 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Riley Hoover, who posted ten points and five rebounds.
Szymusiak wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Blacklick Valley was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Ferndale hadn't done well against Rockwood recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Ferndale was the clear victor by a 55-31 margin over Rockwood. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Yellow Jackets just coasted through the last quarter.
Blacklick Valley better keep an eye on Deajah Chatman. She was instrumental in Ferndale's win, going 8 of 13 on her way to 18 points in addition to six boards and five assists. The dominant performance also gave Chatman a new career-high in steals (five). Another player making a difference was Maisen Sechrengost, who put up eight points and seven rebounds.
Ferndale's victory bumped their record up to 8-4. As for Blacklick Valley, their win bumped their record up to 12-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Blacklick Valley has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Ferndale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Blacklick Valley took their victory against Ferndale in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 50-29. The rematch might be a little tougher for Blacklick Valley since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
