Valley Vista is 10-0 against the Stallions since February of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Valley Vista Monsoon will head out on the road to take on the Shadow Ridge Stallions at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Valley Vista had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 38.6 points), and they went ahead and made it six on Tuesday. They blew past Tolleson 86-23 at home. Given Valley Vista's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 16th, while the Wolverines are ranked 176th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Valley Vista's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jocelyn Chavez, who scored 30 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Chavez also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Emma Dasovich was another key contributor, scoring 24 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Shadow Ridge on the road against the Dragons on Tuesday as the squad secured a 43-14 victory. That's two games straight that Shadow Ridge has won by exactly 29 points.
Shadow Ridge's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Danica Lindemann, who scored six points along with six rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was Aalayah Ramirez, who scored 11 points.
Valley Vista pushed their record up to 13-4 with that win, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 46.8 points. As for Shadow Ridge, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Valley Vista have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Shadow Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Valley Vista took their victory against the Stallions in their previous matchup two weeks ago by a conclusive 69-45. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Shadow Ridge's Shaelyn Anthony, who scored 15 points along with five steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Valley Vista still be able to contain Anthony? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
