Two dominant guards in Ava Persichetti and Alyssa Altemus are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The River Valley Panthers will face off against the Penns Manor Comets at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with River Valley sitting on 23 straight wins and Penns Manor on five.
Last Monday, River Valley took their contest with ease, bagging a 57-21 victory over Portage. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 20 games by 20 points or more this season.
| 02/03/25 vs Portage | 16 |
| 01/31/25 @ West Shamokin | 27 |
| 01/29/25 @ Marion Center | 16 |
| 01/27/25 @ Purchase Line | 17 |
| 01/25/25 vs Richland | 18 |
| 01/24/25 vs Homer-Center | 26 |
Alessia LaMantia and Persichetti were among the main playmakers for River Valley as the former went 6 of 11 en route to 17 points and five steals and the latter posted 16 points along with six assists and four blocks. Persichetti's evening made it six games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maren Dunlap, who earned seven points and three steals.
They weren't the only one working in the assists department: River Valley was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Portage only racked up six assists.
Cambria Heights typically has all the answers at home, but on Monday Penns Manor proved too difficult a challenge. They took down the Highlanders 54-40.
River Valley better keep an eye on Altemus. She was instrumental in Penns Manor's win, going 7 for 10 on her way to 24 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. Altemus is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Allie Mumau, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten boards.
Penns Manor is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 19-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.2 points per game. As for River Valley, their win was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 23-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: River Valley has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 31.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Penns Manor struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
River Valley didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Penns Manor in their previous matchup two weeks ago, but they still walked away with a 59-53 victory. Does River Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Penns Manor turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
