Vallivue and Columbia are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2021, but not for long. The Vallivue Falcons will face off against the Columbia Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Vallivue took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 77-51 margin over Nampa. The Falcons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Vallivue found their leader in freshman Victor Gutierrez, who went 5 of 11 en route to 21 points along with six rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Xander Wilson, who went 7 for 11 on his way to 14 points and eight boards.
Vallivue smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Columbia was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Thursday as they fell 64-60 to Bishop Kelly. That's two games in a row now that the Wildcats have lost by exactly four points.
Vallivue will need focus on slowing down Blake Hansen, one of several Columbia players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds. With that strong performance, Hansen is now averaging an impressive 15.4 points per game. Another player making a difference was Easton Lott, who went 5 of 10 en route to 12 points.
Vallivue pushed their record up to 6-9 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points per game. As for Columbia, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Vallivue has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Columbia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
