Two dominant guards in Yaneli Landin and Brighton Blythe are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Fillmore Flashes and the Golden Valley Grizzlies will face off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday without much rest, having both just played. Golden Valley took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Fillmore, who comes in off a win.
While Fillmore didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They breezed past Hueneme to the tune of 51-8 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Flashes in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won seven in a row.
Hermelinda Ocegueda
| 12/05/25 @ Hueneme | 12 |
| 12/03/25 vs Verdugo Hills | 13 |
| 12/02/25 vs Oakwood | 8 |
| 12/01/25 vs San Fernando | 12 |
| 11/25/25 @ Simi Valley | 13 |
| + 6 more games |
Fillmore's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Hermelinda Ocegueda, who posted four points along with 12 rebounds and seven assists. Ocegueda is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down eight or more in each of the last 11 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Lucy Murillo, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and ten rebounds.
Fillmore smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.
Meanwhile, Golden Valley didn't have quite enough to beat Viewpoint on Friday and fell 46-43. The Grizzlies have struggled against the Patriots recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Fillmore will have to keep a close watch on Morgan Mendenhall and Krysta Ezenwa, a pair of players who had a big impact on Golden Valley's prior game. Mendenhall scored nine points and three steals, while Ezenwa almost dropped a double-double with nine points and nine boards. Thempsey Austin-Pugh also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.
Golden Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Fillmore, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Fillmore has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 54.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Golden Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
