Palm Valley comes up short despite Alex Ratner's dominant performance

By Team Reports Jan 19, 2024, 9:41am

Recap: Palm Valley FIREBIRDS vs. Desert Chapel Eagles

After a string of five wins, the Palm Valley FIREBIRDS's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell just short of Desert Chapel by a score of 38-36. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Palm Valley has suffered yet this season.

When it comes to explaining why Palm Valley lost, one person who can't be blamed is Alex Ratner. Despite the final result, he scored two points along with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Ratner is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Matteo Lam, who scored 11 points along with three steals.

Palm Valley's loss dropped their record down to 8-2. As for Desert Chapel, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-2.

Palm Valley will look to defend their home court on Monday against Joshua Springs Christian at 5:00 p.m. Joshua Springs Christian is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for Desert Chapel, they will head out on the road to challenge Noli Indian at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Noli Indian's defense has only allowed 30 points per game this season, so Desert Chapel's offense will have their work cut out for them.