Basketball Recap: Spring Valley Comes Up Short in High-Profile Match with Blythewood

On Monday, Spring Valley faced Blythewood in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Spring Valley Vikings lost to the Blythewood Bengals on the road by a 71-55 margin. The Vikings were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Bengals apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in February of 2024.

When it comes to explaining why Spring Valley lost, don't look at Zie'L Ratchford. Despite the final result, she went 7 of 8 en route to 21 points and three steals. That's the most points Ratchford has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Mariana Moody, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 10 points and seven rebounds.

Even though they lost, Spring Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matches.

Blythewood's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from India Williams, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayley Hightower, who went 7 of 16 on her way to 19 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals.

Spring Valley moved to 9-5 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for Blythewood, the victory was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 15-1.

Spring Valley will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Ridge View at 6:30 p.m. Spring Valley knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven contests -- so hopefully Ridge View likes a good challenge. As for Blythewood, they will face off against Lugoff-Elgin at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Blythewood is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 67.7 points per game this season.