Basketball Recap: Palm Valley's Loss Ends Six-Game Winning Streak at Home

Palm Valley entered their matchup against Desert Chapel on Thursday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Palm Valley FIREBIRDS fell 48-36 to the Desert Chapel Eagles. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the FIREBIRDS this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 41-23 back in December of 2024.

When it comes to explaining why Palm Valley lost, don't look at Matteo Lam. Despite the final result, he posted 15 points along with seven steals and five assists. Lam's morning made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Deshawn Tunmore was another key player, putting up 14 points along with eight rebounds and four blocks.

Desert Chapel found their leader in freshman Jayvon Garcia, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 26 boards. Garcia is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last nine games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Felix Ochoa, who had five points in addition to seven assists and six steals.

Palm Valley's loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-3. As for Desert Chapel, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 11-2.

Palm Valley will face off against Noli Indian at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Palm Valley is facing Noli Indian at the right time seeing as Noli Indian is stuck on a four-game losing streak. As for Desert Chapel, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 62-37 victory against Desert Mirage on the 10th.