After four games on the road, Portage is heading back home. They will take on the Conemaugh Valley Blue Jays at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Portage knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Conemaugh Valley likes a good challenge.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Portage ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They came out on top against Penns Manor by a score of 59-52. Given Portage's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked first, while Penns Manor is ranked 112th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Portage had a senior duo take command as Jenna Burkett scored 26 points along with nine rebounds and Brooke Bednarksi dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Burkett has scored at least 25% of Portage's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Chobany, who scored nine points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, this season hasn't been kind to Conemaugh Valley, who are still winless after their fourth match. They were dealt a 59-26 loss at the hands of Homer-Center on Monday. Conemaugh Valley has struggled against Homer-Center recently, as their contest on Monday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Portage's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-0. As for Conemaugh Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.
Everything came up roses for Portage against Conemaugh Valley in their previous meeting back in February of 2022 as the squad secured a 53-24 win. Will Portage repeat their success, or does Conemaugh Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
