Preview: Sun Valley Spartans vs. Porter Ridge Pirates
Sun Valley and Porter Ridge are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2016, but not for long. The Sun Valley Spartans will head out on the road to take on the Porter Ridge Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Sun Valley is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
Sun Valley pushed their score all the way to 55 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Marvin Ridge on the road by a decisive 74-55 margin. While losing is never fun, Sun Valley can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 341st, while Marvin Ridge is ranked 111th).
Despite the defeat, Sun Valley saw an underclassman step up: Kaleel Benjamin scored 18 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Jaylin Powell was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Porter Ridge strolled past Cuthbertson with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 66-49. The win was just what Porter Ridge needed coming off of a 74-48 loss in their prior match.
Jacob Conroy had a dynamite game for Porter Ridge, scoring 22 points along with five assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Conroy has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Rai'shawn Elmore, who scored ten points along with six steals and five rebounds.
Sun Valley has been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-16 record this season. As for Porter Ridge, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-14.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Sun Valley have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.5% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Porter Ridge struggles in that department as they've made 38.4% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Sun Valley beat Porter Ridge 72-59 in their previous matchup back in January. The rematch might be a little tougher for Sun Valley since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
