The Blacksburg Bruins will take on the Salem Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Last Friday, Blacksburg came up short against Pulaski County and fell 53-45. The Bruins have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, Salem waltzed into their contest on Saturday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Blue Demons, posting a 67-25 win. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 43rd, while the Blue Demons are ranked 186th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Blacksburg better keep an eye on Bailey Rider. She was instrumental in Salem's win, going 5 of 9 on her way to 14 points along with five boards and three steals. Rider is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. Gabby Crawley was another key player, putting up ten points and three steals.
Salem smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.
Salem's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-1. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.1 points per game. As for Blacksburg, they now have a losing record at 7-8.
Blacksburg was taken down by Salem 55-25 in their previous matchup on January 3rd. Can Blacksburg avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
