The Fountain Valley Danes will head out on the road to face off against the Elbert Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Fountain Valley focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 25 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, Fountain Valley came up short against the Eagles and fell 55-44. Fountain Valley has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their loss, Fountain Valley saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jaden Lopez-Hardy, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and two blocks, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Ian Rauber-Silviero, who scored seven points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Even though they lost, Fountain Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Elbert put the finishing touches on their eighth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Rocky Mountain Lutheran 80-23 on the road. The victory was familiar territory for Elbert who now have seven in a row.
Elbert's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Eli Cornell, who scored 18 points along with seven assists and six steals. Cornell hasn't dropped below three steals for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Logan LaFollette, who scored 19 points.
Fountain Valley now has a losing record at 5-6. As for Elbert, they pushed their record up to 10-3 with that win, which was their third straight on the road.
Tuesday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Fountain Valley have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 42% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Elbert struggles in that department as they've made 44.8% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fountain Valley was taken down by the Bulldogs 61-34 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Can Fountain Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
