Lucerne Valley is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Academy of Careers & Exploration is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Lucerne Valley Mustangs will take on the Academy of Careers & Exploration Eagle at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lucerne Valley has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Lucerne Valley scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 55-15 victory over Victor Valley Christian on the road. Lucerne Valley has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 20 points or more this season.
Lucerne Valley's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Amaya Kelly, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 14 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Kelly scored 15 or more points. Chloe Evans was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with nine steals and five assists.
Meanwhile, Academy of Careers & Exploration was able to grind out a solid win over Silver Valley on Friday, taking the game 36-23.
Academy of Careers & Exploration can attribute much of their success to DeIsis Ross, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Sarah Powell, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 18 rebounds. Powell hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for five straight games.
Lucerne Valley has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. As for Academy of Careers & Exploration, their victory bumped their record up to 4-6.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Lucerne Valley have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Academy of Careers & Exploration struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 36.8 rebounds per game. Given Lucerne Valley's sizeable advantage in that area, Academy of Careers & Exploration will need to find a way to close that gap.
Lucerne Valley took their victory against Academy of Careers & Exploration when the teams last played back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 45-23. Will Lucerne Valley repeat their success, or does Academy of Careers & Exploration have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
