The Seneca Valley Screamin' Eagles will challenge the Wootton Patriots at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Seneca Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.2 points per game this season.
Seneca Valley is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Clarksburg just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of the Coyotes by a score of 47-44. The contest marked the Screamin' Eagles' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Danika Barnes, who posted eight points and 14 rebounds. She is becoming a predictor of Seneca Valley's success: when she posts at least ten boards the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when she doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Mina Hashemzadeh, who earned ten points and eight rebounds.
Even though they lost, Seneca Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 11 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Wootton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a 57-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of Whitman.
Despite the defeat, Wootton saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Malia Bellamy dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bellamy has scored all season.
Seneca Valley's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 7-2. As for Wootton, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Seneca Valley has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Wootton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Seneca Valley against Wootton in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the team secured an 81-32 win. Does Seneca Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wootton turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
