Two dominant guards in Dom Speal and Evan Risinger are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The River Valley Panthers will be playing at home against the Marion Center Stingers at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in River Valley's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while the Stingers have been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Last Tuesday, River Valley came up short against the Comets and fell 53-42. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as River Valley came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 279th, while the Comets are ranked 597th).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Jeremy Reed, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Speal, who scored five points along with three steals.
Even though Marion Center has not done well against the Wildcats recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Marion Center snuck past the Wildcats with a 47-42 win.
Marion Center got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Cameron Pack out in front who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Risinger, who scored 14 points.
River Valley's defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-6. As for Marion Center, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-11 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: River Valley haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 9.2 turnovers per game. However, it's not like Marion Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 8.3 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
River Valley strolled past the Stingers when the teams last played back in January by a score of 59-43. Does River Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Stingers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
