Basketball Recap: Spring Valley Comes Up Short in High-Profile Matchup with Faith Lutheran

On Friday, Spring Valley faced Faith Lutheran in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Spring Valley Grizzlies fell just short of the Faith Lutheran Crusaders by a score of 49-46. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Grizzlies have suffered against the Crusaders since February 27, 2016.

When it comes to explaining why Spring Valley lost, don't look at Mia Ervin. Despite the final result, she went 8 for 20 on her way to 20 points along with eight boards and six steals. Ervin is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Mckenyia Pittman was another key player, putting up seven points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals.

Emma Herpin was her usual excellent self, going 9 of 21 en route to 28 points along with six boards and four steals for Faith Lutheran. The dominant performance gave Herpin a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Khloe Pitts, who posted three points and ten rebounds.

Spring Valley has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 12-9 record this season. As for Faith Lutheran, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 12-11.

Spring Valley will take on Bishop Gorman at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Bishop Gorman is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 60.5 points per game this season. As for Faith Lutheran, they will square off against Clark at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Faith Lutheran is facing Clark at the right time seeing as Clark is stuck on a 23-game losing streak.