The Green Valley Gators's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Silverado Skyhawks at 5:00 p.m. on February 2nd. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Nevada (Green Valley is ranked 81st, while the Skyhawks are ranked 83rd).
You can't lose the match if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Green Valley's strategy against the Dragons on Wednesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Green Valley blew the Dragons out of the water with a 56-16 final score. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-9.
Gianessa Vazquez went supernova for Green Valley, scoring 24 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Vazquez has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jazmine Ramirez, who scored eight points along with six steals.
Meanwhile, Silverado's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight loss. They fell just short of Western by a score of 31-29.
Despite their loss, Silverado saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Timia Thomas, who scored seven points along with 12 rebounds and two steals, was perhaps the best of all. Thomas has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 11 times she's played. Aerial Canilas was another key contributor, scoring seven points.
Green Valley's victory ended a 14-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-19. As for Silverado, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-15.
Friday's contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Green Valley have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Silverado struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Green Valley and the Skyhawks were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in January, but the Gators came up empty-handed after a 35-34 defeat. Can Green Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
