Basketball Recap: Pinole Valley Takes a Loss

Pinole Valley lost against Salesian College Preparatory back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Pinole Valley Spartans took a blow against the Salesian College Preparatory Pride, falling 66-33. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 542nd, while the Pride are ranked 19th).

Despite the loss, Pinole Valley saw an underclassman step up: sophomore De'Ari Simmons posted 11 points. Simmons has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last five times he's played.

Pinole Valley has been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-11 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.9 points per game. As for Salesian College Preparatory, the win was the 11th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 17-1.

Pinole Valley will head out to challenge San Lorenzo at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Pinole Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.1 points per game this season. As for Salesian College Preparatory, they will take on Clovis West at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Salesian College Preparatory knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 matchups -- so hopefully Clovis West likes a good challenge.