Shenandoah Valley has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against Marian Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Shenandoah Valley will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings (they are ranked 396th, while Marian Catholic is ranked 111th).
Last Monday, Shenandoah Valley was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 52-47 to Nativity BVM. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Shenandoah Valley in their matchups with Nativity BVM: they've now lost three in a row.
Despite the loss, Shenandoah Valley had strong showings from Brayden Maksimik, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and five assists, and Estuardo Salguero, who scored nine points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Salguero has scored all season.
Meanwhile, Marian Catholic beat Wyoming Seminary College Prep 56-46 on Monday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Marian Catholic.
Marian Catholic's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jacob Miller, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and five assists, and Jesse Rodino, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds. Rodino set a new season high mark in blocks with three. Another player making a difference was Alex Thomas, who scored eight points.
Shenandoah Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Marian Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Shenandoah Valley have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 28.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Marian Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 32.8 rebounds per game. Given Shenandoah Valley's sizeable advantage in that area, Marian Catholic will need to find a way to close that gap.
Shenandoah Valley was taken down by Marian Catholic 67-32 in their previous matchup back in January. Thankfully for Shenandoah Valley, Frank Valente (who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
