Two dominant guards in Kylee Falatea and Leelu Bare are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The West Panthers will square off against the Skyline Eagles at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. West knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 13 matchups -- so hopefully Skyline likes a good challenge.
It was a classic East v. West duel when West faced off against East on Tuesday. West really took it to East for the full four quarters, racking up an 80-30 win. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 20 points or more this season.
| 01/14/25 vs East | 4 |
| 01/10/25 @ Alta | 6 |
| 01/07/25 @ Brighton | 3 |
| 01/03/25 vs Olympus | 4 |
| 12/21/24 vs Rosary Academy | 8 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead West to victory, but perhaps none more so than Falatea, who posted 19 points in addition to five assists and four steals. Falatea has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 32 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mia Martinez, who went 6 for 10 on her way to 19 points and three steals.
West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 34 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Skyline, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They secured a 42-37 W over East on Friday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Eagles as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.
Skyline's win came from a few key players West will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mia Johnson, who put up 17 points. Bare was another key player, putting up seven points along with nine boards and six assists.
West's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-0. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.9 points per game. As for Skyline, their victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 4-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: West has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 54 boards per game. However, it's not like Skyline struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went West's way against Skyline in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, as West made off with an 80-54 win. Will West repeat their success, or does Skyline have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
