Basketball Game Preview: Riverside Panthers vs. Quaker Valley Quakers

The Riverside Panthers will square off against the Quaker Valley Quakers at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Riverside will bounce into Monday's match after beating Ellwood City, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Riverside had just enough and edged Ellwood City out 40-37. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted since December 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, Quaker Valley blew past Gateway, posting a 47-18 win. The Quakers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 23 points or more this season.

Riverside better keep an eye on Oumou Thiero. She was instrumental in Quaker Valley's win, dropping a double-double on 21 points and 19 rebounds. That makes it 13 consecutive games in which Thiero has scored at least a third of Quaker Valley's points. Leasia Karto was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on ten points and nine boards.

Quaker Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Quaker Valley has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.4 points per game. As for Riverside, their victory ended an 11-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-6.

Riverside suffered a grim 47-24 defeat to Quaker Valley when the teams last played on January 2nd. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Thiero, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 21 rebounds. Now that Riverside knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.