The Tamaqua Blue Raiders are taking a road trip to challenge the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Tamaqua's defense has only allowed 29 points per game this season, so Schuylkill Haven's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Tamaqua is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering North Schuylkill just ended the team's ten-game winning streak on Friday. They took a hard 61-45 fall against the Spartans. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Blue Raiders, who until this contest were averaging 29 points allowed.
| 01/10/25 @ North Schuylkill | 20 |
| 01/08/25 @ Minersville | 11 |
| 01/07/25 vs Panther Valley | 9 |
| 01/03/25 vs Executive Education Academy Charter School | 10 |
| 12/30/24 vs Louis E. Dieruff | 3 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Millie Black, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 20 boards. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 8.7 boards per game. Lauren Ligenza was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten points and ten boards.
Even though they lost, Tamaqua smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 14 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Schuylkill Haven). They blew past Pine Grove, posting a 55-25 win. Given the Hurricanes' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 104th, while the Cardinals are ranked 298th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tamaqua better keep an eye on Audrey Hutchinson. She was instrumental in Schuylkill Haven's win, putting up 18 points. The dominant performance gave Hutchinson a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alea Porter, who posted 12 points.
Schuylkill Haven pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.7 points per game. As for Tamaqua, their defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 12-2.
Tamaqua came up short against Schuylkill Haven in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 40-30. Can Tamaqua avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
