Basketball Game Preview: Pleasant Valley Vikings vs. Chico Panthers

The Pleasant Valley Vikings will face off against the Chico Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pleasant Valley is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.

Last Tuesday, everything came up roses for Pleasant Valley against Enterprise as the squad secured a 65-31 victory. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Pleasant Valley had a senior duo take command as Ava Dunn posted eight points and eight boards and Aj Gambol went 6 of 15 on her way to 12 points. Dunn is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Shannon Fong, who earned eight points.

Pleasant Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Chico can bid farewell to their four-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. They walked away with a 48-39 win over Red Bluff. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 160th, while the Spartans are ranked 559th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Pleasant Valley is also on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.1 points per game. As for Chico, their victory bumped their record up to 14-10.

Pleasant Valley came up short against Chico in their previous meeting back in January, falling 51-45. Will Pleasant Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.