Conemaugh Valley hasn't had much luck against Portage recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Conemaugh Valley Blue Jays will square off against the Portage Mustangs at 7:15 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Conemaugh Valley is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Wednesday. They took a 61-45 bruising from Homer-Center.
The losing side was boosted by Penelope Reininger, who posted 19 points. That was a full 42.2% of Conemaugh Valley's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gwen Masser, who had six points and ten boards.
Meanwhile, Portage played a tough matchup on Wednesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by River Valley 71-35. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Panthers recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Conemaugh Valley will have to keep a close watch on Kendall Bednarski and Cassidy Burkett, a pair of players who had a big impact on Portage's prior game. Bednarski put up 17 points, while Burkett scored two points. Kendall Stancovich also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.
Portage's defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Conemaugh Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Conemaugh Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Portage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Conemaugh Valley suffered a grim 62-41 defeat to Portage in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bednarski, who went 6 for 15 en route to 18 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Now that Conemaugh Valley knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
