The Golden Sierra Grizzlies and the Valley Vikings will round out the year against one another at at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. Valley took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Golden Sierra, who comes in off a win.
Golden Sierra is returning home triumphant after the team finally put their road woes behind them against Foresthill last Thursday. Golden Sierra snuck past Foresthill with a 34-30 win.
Zofia Bradford was the offensive standout of the contest as she posted nine points in addition to eight boards and five steals. Golden Sierra is 2-1 when Bradford posts five or more steals, but 2-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Mary Nicole Turner, who had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Golden Sierra smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their 17th straight defeat dating back to last season. The game between them and Western Sierra Collegiate Academy didn't end well, with Valley falling 33-18.
Golden Sierra will have to keep a close watch on India Williams and Beverly Gutierrez, a pair of players who had a big impact on Valley's prior game. Williams put up two points along with nine rebounds and four steals, while Gutierrez posted seven points. That's the most points Gutierrez has posted since back in January.
Valley's loss dropped their record down to 0-10. As for Golden Sierra, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Golden Sierra has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Golden Sierra and Valley were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, but Golden Sierra came up empty-handed after a 45-44 defeat. Will Golden Sierra have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
