The Veterans Memorial Patriots came tearing into Friday's contest with 22 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 68-54 win over Smithson Valley. Given Veterans Memorial's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 15th, while Smithson Valley is ranked 381st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Demarion Dennis was his usual excellent self, scoring 24 points along with two blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Jionte Jones was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Defeat or not, Smithson Valley got some senior leadership from Gavin Londrie and Dj Onezine. Londrie scored 24 points, while Onezine. scored 14 points along with two steals. Londrie hasn't dropped below 15 points for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Quentin Sampson, who scored nine points.
Smithson Valley struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They are 1-4 when they can't control their own glass like that.
Veterans Memorial's win was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 30-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.6 points per game. As for Smithson Valley, they are on a eight-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-16.
Veterans Memorial will head out on the road to square off against Seguin at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Seguin focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Friday. As for Smithson Valley, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Canyon at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Canyon is coming into the game on a five-game losing streak.
