Golden Valley hasn't had much luck against Valencia recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Golden Valley Grizzlies will be playing at home against the Valencia Vikings at 5:00 p.m.
Golden Valley lost 55-31 to Saugus on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Grizzlies can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 766th, while the Centurions are ranked 215th).
Despite the defeat, Golden Valley saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Krysta Ezenwa dropped a double-double on 20 points and 16 boards. That was a full 64.5% of Golden Valley's points, marking the third time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points.
Meanwhile, Valencia made easy work of Canyon on Tuesday and carried off a 75-49 victory. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 25 points or more this season.
Valencia's win came from a few key players Golden Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kamilla Basyrova, who went 11 of 19 on her way to 27 points in addition to eight boards and six assists. The game was her 11th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keira McLaughlin, who went 8 for 14 on her way to 21 points in addition to seven boards and four blocks.
Valencia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in ten consecutive contests.
Valencia pushed their record up to 16-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.8 points per game. As for Golden Valley, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 5-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Golden Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Valencia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Golden Valley was dealt a bruising 81-13 loss at the hands of Valencia in their previous meeting back in November of 2024. Will Golden Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.