Preview: Hoopa Valley Warriors vs. Ferndale Wildcats
Hoopa Valley is 2-8 against Ferndale since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hoopa Valley Warriors will be playing in front of their home fans against the Ferndale Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. The timing isn't great for Hoopa Valley: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Ferndale has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.
In what's become a running theme this season, Hoopa Valley gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. They breezed by South Fork on the road to the tune of 79-22. Given Hoopa Valley's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 278th, while South Fork is ranked 923rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hoopa Valley's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tashee Tracy, who scored 26 points. Tracy continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Maggie Morris, who scored 22 points.
Ferndale suffered their biggest defeat since December 9, 2023 on Friday. They suffered a rough 43-22 defeat at the hands of St. Bernard's. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Ferndale has scored all season.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Tinnley Pidgeon, who scored eight points.
Hoopa Valley's victory bumped their record up to 9-6. As for Ferndale, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-4.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's matchup: Hoopa Valley have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 5.7 threes per game. It's a different story for Ferndale, though, as they've been averaging only 0.1 threes per game. Given Hoopa Valley's sizeable advantage in that area, Ferndale will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hoopa Valley couldn't quite finish off Ferndale in their previous matchup on January 5th and fell 49-47. Will Hoopa Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
