If the Loyalton Grizzlies were feeling good off their 81-41 takedown of the Westwood Lumberjacks last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Loyalton fell 92-84 to Portola on Monday. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (81), Loyalton still had to take the loss.
When it comes to explaining why Loyalton lost, one person who can't be blamed is Aidan Shelby. Despite the final result, he went 13 for 24 from beyond the arc en route to 51 points and 2 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Shelby has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gus Petterson, who scored nine points along with seven assists and six rebounds.
Portola found their leader in underclassman Connor Sheridan, who dropped a double-double on 32 points and 23 rebounds. Sheridan is crushing the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Magnus Berg, who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine rebounds.
Loyalton's loss dropped their record down to 16-9. As for Portola, they have been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season.
Loyalton won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Providence at 4:00 p.m. on February 6th. Loyalton has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 300 points over their last four matchups. As for Portola, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Plumas Charter at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Portola has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
