Two dominant guards in Alyssa Altemus and Ava Persichetti are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Penns Manor Comets will face off against the River Valley Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Penns Manor comes in on five and River Valley on 23.
Penns Manor can't be too worried about heading out to take on River Valley: they just beat Cambria Heights at home, who had been dominant on their own court up to that point. Penns Manor took down Cambria Heights 54-40 on Monday.
| 02/03/25 @ Cambria Heights | 2 |
| 01/31/25 vs Purchase Line | 4 |
| 01/29/25 @ West Shamokin | 2 |
| 01/28/25 vs United | 3 |
| 01/27/25 vs Marion Center | 3 |
Altemus was her usual excellent self, going 7 for 10 on her way to 24 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Allie Mumau was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and ten boards.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for River Valley against Portage on Monday as the team secured a 57-21 victory. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 20 matches by 20 points or more this season.
Penns Manor better focus on containing Alessia LaMantia and Persichetti as the pair were huge in River Valley's win. LaMantia went 6 of 11 en route to 17 points and five steals, while Persichetti posted 16 points along with six assists and four blocks. Another player making a difference was Maren Dunlap, who scored seven points and three steals.
They weren't the only one working in the assists department: River Valley was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Portage only racked up six assists.
Penns Manor is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 19-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.2 points per game. As for River Valley, their win was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 23-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Penns Manor has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 27.8 boards per game. However, it's not like River Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Penns Manor came up short against River Valley in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 59-53. Can Penns Manor avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
