The United Lions will square off against the Portage Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, United earned a 45-38 victory over Northern Cambria. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.
| 01/17/25 vs Northern Cambria | 7 |
| 01/15/25 vs West Shamokin | 3 |
| 01/13/25 @ Purchase Line | 3 |
| 01/09/25 vs River Valley | 3 |
| 01/07/25 vs Conemaugh Township | 4 |
United's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Braleigh James, who went 9 of 16 from beyond the arc en route to 28 points and four steals, and Lilly McGinnis, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine assists. McGinnis is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Olivia Henning, who posted two points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Portage). They really took it to Northern Cambria for the full four quarters, racking up a 63-17 win. With the Mustangs ahead 30-10 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Portage found their leader in sophomore Kendall Bednarski, who went 12 for 22 on her way to 32 points and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Bednarski has scored at least a third of Portage's points. Mya Burda was another key player, putting up 13 points.
They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Portage was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in four consecutive games.
Portage's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-6. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.7 points per game. As for United, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: United has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Portage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
United came up short against Portage in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 53-44. Thankfully for United, Jenna Burkett (who went 10 of 18 en route to 27 points) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
