Preview: Lassen Grizzlies vs. West Valley Eagles
The Lassen Grizzlies will be playing in front of their home fans against the West Valley Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Lassen is coming into the match on a five-game losing streak.
Lassen struggled with offensive rebounds on Friday (Yreka had nine more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Lassen took a 51-43 hit to the loss column at the hands of Yreka.
Despite the loss, Lassen had strong showings from Kinley Somerville, who scored 15 points along with four steals, and Brook Medovitch, who scored 13 points along with six steals. Another player making a difference was Mili Crosno, who scored eight points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, West Valley put the finishing touches on their 16th blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They blew past University Prep 68-47.
Kayla Wiley was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 25 points and 19 rebounds. She is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down 12 or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Whitney King, who scored 13 points along with three steals.
Lassen has traveled a rocky road recently having lost ten of their last 11 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-17 record this season. As for West Valley, they pushed their record up to 20-7 with that victory, which was their seventh straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lassen have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like West Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 44.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lassen was taken down by West Valley 75-39 in their previous matchup back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Wiley, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Now that Lassen knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
