Gunnison Valley has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the North Summit Braves at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Gunnison Valley focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 26 on Tuesday.
Gunnison Valley suffered their biggest defeat since November 17, 2023 on Tuesday. They took a serious blow against Duchesne, falling 65-29. Gunnison Valley was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 47-14.
Despite the loss, Gunnison Valley had strong showings from Rylee Bartholomew, who scored 15 points, and Autumn Anderson, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and two steals. That was a full 51.7% of Gunnison Valley's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Meanwhile, North Summit had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.4 points), and they went ahead and made it six on Tuesday. They really took it to North Sevier for the full four quarters, racking up a 61-15 victory on the road. North Summit has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 20 points or more this season.
North Summit's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Hartlynn Richins, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten assists. Richins is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Hayzlyn Murdock, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Gunnison Valley's loss was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 3-12. As for North Summit, their victory bumped their record up to 14-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Gunnison Valley have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for North Summit, though, as they've been averaging only 33.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Gunnison Valley was dealt a bruising 62-25 loss at the hands of North Summit when the teams last played back in January of 2023. The matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Gunnison Valley was down 35-12.
