The Dunsmuir Tigers came into Friday's game having lost 15 straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 57-54 victory over Surprise Valley on Friday. The victory was just what Dunsmuir needed coming off of a 69-34 defeat in their prior matchup.
It was another big night for Michael Kellar, who scored 35 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. That makes it 14 consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Dunsmuir's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Desean Pistorius, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 24 rebounds.
Surprise Valley's loss came despite strong showings from Casey Grove and Iina Nabahe-Henry. Grove scored 28 points, while Nabahe-Henry scored 18 points. Grove has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last three times he's played.
Dunsmuir's victory ended a six-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-17. As for Surprise Valley, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 8-11.
Dunsmuir will challenge Butte Valley at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Butte Valley will roll in looking for their seventh straight win, something Dunsmuir surely won't give up without a fight. As for Surprise Valley, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Hayfork at 5:00 p.m. Averaging 59.04 points so far this season, Hayfork's high-powered offense has been in full-swing lately, so Surprise Valley better be ready for a challenge.
