Even though the Portola Tigers have not done well against the North Valleys Panthers recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Portola had just enough and edged North Valleys out 78-75. The victory was all the more spectacular given Portola's disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 809th in California, while North Valleys is ranked 60th in Nevada).
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Portola to victory, but perhaps none more so than Connor Sheridan, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 20 rebounds. Sheridan is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Liam Bowling, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Portola is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-7 record this season. As for North Valleys, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-6.
Portola will be playing in front of their home fans against Redding Christian at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive. As for North Valleys, they will head out on the road to take on Truckee at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Truckee comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
