The Dakota Valley Panthers had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They came out on top against Tri-Valley by a score of 55-45. That's another feather in the cap for Dakota Valley, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.
Dakota Valley was led to victory by Ella Otten and Cameryn Sommervold. Otten scored 19 points along with five rebounds and two steals, while Sommervold scored 16 points along with five rebounds and four blocks. Sommervold is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last three games she's played. Sophie Tuttle was another key contributor, scoring six points along with six rebounds.
Dakota Valley pushed their record up to 8-3 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.7 points per game. As for Tri-Valley, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.
Dakota Valley won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Andes Central/Dakota Christian at 3:00 p.m. on January 20th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in South Dakota (Andes Central/Dakota Christian is ranked 37th, while Dakota Valley is ranked 21st). Tri-Valley won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Sergeant Bluff-Luton at 7:00 p.m. on January 20th. Sergeant Bluff-Luton has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 8.
