The Platte Valley Broncos will take on the Fort Lupton Bluedevils in a holiday battle at at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Platte Valley will be strutting in after a victory while Fort Lupton will be coming in after a loss.
Platte Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They secured a 50-44 W over Sterling. While the Broncos didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
| 12/17/24 vs Sterling | 11 |
| 12/14/24 @ Northridge | 2 |
| 12/10/24 @ SkyView Academy | 9 |
| 12/06/24 @ Valley | 11 |
| 12/03/24 vs Forge Christian | 12 |
Platte Valley had a senior duo take command as Lauryn Uyemura dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 steals and Mia Koffler went 5 of 9 on her way to 14 points in addition to six boards and three steals. Uyemura is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 12 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryla Bunting, who posted eight points along with six boards and five assists.
Meanwhile, Fort Lupton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a 56-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of The Academy.
Platte Valley will need focus on slowing down Marely Gomez, one of several Fort Lupton players who made an impact when they last played. She went 7 of 15 on her way to 17 points and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Kianna Lenox, who had eight points in addition to eight boards and eight blocks.
Even though they lost, Fort Lupton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Fort Lupton's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Platte Valley, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Platte Valley has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Fort Lupton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Platte Valley's way against Fort Lupton when the teams last played back in January of 2018, as Platte Valley made off with a 47-24 victory. Will Platte Valley repeat their success, or does Fort Lupton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
