The Palm Valley FIREBIRDS came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 51.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 59-44 victory over Desert Chapel. Palm Valley's victory was all the more impressive since the Eagles were averaging only 27.27 points allowed on the season.
Palm Valley was led to victory by Alex Ratner and Donovan Knott. Ratner dropped a double-double on 14 points and 18 rebounds, while Knott scored 18 points along with eight assists and seven steals. Ratner is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games he's played. Matteo Lam was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Desert Chapel lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Damien Guzman, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Another player making a difference was Mikey Valdivia, who scored ten points.
Palm Valley pushed their record up to 12-2 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home. As for Desert Chapel, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
Palm Valley will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the Monarchs at 5:00 p.m. Desert Chapel is on the road again on Thursday and plays the Braves at 3:15 p.m. on February 1st. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (Noli Indian: 27.9, the Eagles: 27.3) so any points scored will be well earned.
