Preview: Minersville Battlin' Miners vs. Shenandoah Valley Blue Devils
Minersville is 7-2 against Shenandoah Valley since January of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Minersville Battlin' Miners will head out on the road to challenge the Shenandoah Valley Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Minersville suffered their biggest loss since December 7, 2023 on Wednesday. They suffered a tough 71-45 defeat at the hands of Nativity BVM.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Lorenzo Yourey, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Bradley Kostishak, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Shenandoah Valley's recent rough patch got a bit rougher last Thursday after their third straight loss. They took a serious blow against Schuylkill Haven, falling 72-42. While losing is never fun, Shenandoah Valley can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 664th, while Schuylkill Haven is ranked 171st).
Minersville has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-6 record this season. As for Shenandoah Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-13.
Minersville took their win against Shenandoah Valley when the teams last played back in January of 2023 by a conclusive 61-37. With Minersville ahead 39-14 at the half, the game was all but over already.
