vs
| 12/12/24 - Away | 62-41 W |
| 02/01/24 - Away | 57-22 W |
| 12/14/23 - Home | 54-28 W |
| 02/26/22 - Home | 53-24 W |
| 01/28/22 - Home | 51-19 W |
| + 5 more games |
Portage has gone 10-0 against Conemaugh Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Portage Mustangs will welcome the Conemaugh Valley Blue Jays at 7:15 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Portage is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against River Valley on Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Portage was dealt a 71-35 defeat at the hands of River Valley. The Mustangs have struggled against the Panthers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Portage's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Kendall Bednarski, who posted 17 points, and Cassidy Burkett, who scored two points. Kendall Stancovich also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.
Meanwhile, Conemaugh Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. The contest between them and Homer-Center didn't end well, with Conemaugh Valley falling 61-45.
Portage will have to contain Penelope Reininger as she made an impact in Conemaugh Valley's last game. She had 19 points. That was a full 42.2% of Conemaugh Valley's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points. Gwen Masser was another key player, putting up six points and ten rebounds.
Conemaugh Valley's loss dropped their record down to 2-12. As for Portage, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Portage has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Conemaugh Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Portage's way against Conemaugh Valley in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, as Portage made off with a 62-41 win. In that match, Portage amassed a halftime lead of 40-20, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
