The Norfolk Catholic Knights and the Elkhorn Valley Falcons will round out the year against one another at at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Norfolk Catholic has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight defeats, while Elkhorn Valley will come in with seven straight wins.
Norfolk Catholic is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Guardian Angels Central Catholic on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Norfolk Catholic was dealt a 61-33 loss at the hands of Guardian Angels Central Catholic. The Knights were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 31-9.
The losing side was boosted by Sidonia Wattier, who went 5 for 8 on her way to 13 points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Elkhorn Valley on Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Plainview out of the water with a 63-17 final score. The Falcons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 32 points or more this season.
Elkhorn Valley found their leader in sophomore Cameron Rutjens, who went 8 of 11 on her way to 17 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. Rutjens is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jj Black, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine boards.
Elkhorn Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.
Elkhorn Valley pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 39.4 points. As for Norfolk Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Norfolk Catholic has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Elkhorn Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Norfolk Catholic didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Elkhorn Valley in their previous matchup back in February, but they still walked away with a 39-34 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Norfolk Catholic since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
