Valley and Booker T. Washington are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. The Valley Rams will head out to square off against the Booker T. Washington Golden Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.8 points per game this season.
On Tuesday, Valley ended up a good deal behind LaFayette and lost 57-38. The Rams have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
01/28/25 vs LaFayette | 8 |
01/17/25 vs Russell County | 8 |
01/16/25 @ Elmore County | 8 |
01/14/25 @ Beauregard | 10 |
01/09/25 vs Elmore County | 9 |
Valley might have lost, but man, Jayden Weaver was a machine: he went 7 of 15 on his way to 18 points along with eight boards and three steals. Weaver is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last seven games he's played. Another player making a difference was Galvin Goss, who posted six points and six boards.
Even though they lost, Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive boards in eight consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Booker T. Washington). They took their game on Friday with ease, bagging an 81-40 victory over Tallassee. The Golden Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 contests by 20 points or more this season.
Booker T. Washington's win came from a few key players Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Marquez Daniel, who went 8 for 11 en route to 17 points and eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Raymond Minor, who went 6 of 9 on his way to 16 points and five assists.
Booker T. Washington's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.3 points per game. As for Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 6-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Booker T. Washington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Valley might still be hurting after the 50-30 defeat they got from Booker T. Washington in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. Can Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.