Preview: Valley Forge Patriots vs. Normandy Invaders
Valley Forge is 2-8 against Normandy since December of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Valley Forge Patriots will head out on the road to take on the Normandy Invaders at 11:30 a.m. Valley Forge is coming into the game on a six-game losing streak.
Last Wednesday, Valley Forge came up short against Buckeye and fell 52-44.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Mikayla Hoang, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds. That's the first time this season that she pulled down eight or more rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jada Plum, who scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Normandy opened the new year with a less-than-successful 47-36 defeat to Lakewood. Normandy has not had much luck with Lakewood recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
The losing side was boosted by Izzy Akin, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds. She hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Sammi Perdue was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with three steals.
Valley Forge bumped their record down to 1-10 with that defeat, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Normandy, they now have a losing record at 5-6.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Valley Forge have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Normandy, though, as they've been averaging only 31.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Valley Forge was taken down by Normandy 48-21 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Normandy's Ziley Minich, who scored 15 points along with seven steals and five assists. Now that Valley Forge knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
