The Valley View Eagles will face off against the Heritage Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Valley View is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.8 points per game this season.
Valley View is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Moreno Valley just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a blow against the Vikings, falling 84-46. The Eagles were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 46-21.
Mason Long
| 01/21/25 vs Moreno Valley | 4 |
| 01/18/25 vs Apple Valley | 8 |
| 01/16/25 vs Paloma Valley | 4 |
| 01/14/25 @ Poly | 7 |
Valley View might have lost, but man, Mason Long was a machine: she posted 28 points and four steals. Long has been hot recently, having posted four or more steals the last four times she's played. Jada Booten was another key player, putting up five points in addition to seven boards and five steals.
Even though they lost, Valley View smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Heritage took their contest on Tuesday with ease, bagging an 80-47 victory over Paloma Valley. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matches by 22 points or more this season.
Valley View better keep an eye on Sierra Maxwell. She was instrumental in Heritage's win, going 10 of 18 en route to 27 points along with six assists and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was LaKaila Trimble, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 16 boards.
Heritage pushed their record up to 16-6 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 31.9 points. As for Valley View, their loss dropped their record down to 13-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Valley View has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 33.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Heritage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Valley View was taken down by Heritage 61-34 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Valley View was down 32-9.
