Two dominant guards in Brighton Blythe and Yaneli Landin are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the Golden Valley Grizzlies will jump right back in to play the Fillmore Flashes at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Golden Valley made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Viewpoint, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Grizzlies fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 46-43 on Friday. The Grizzlies have struggled against the Patriots recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Krysta Ezenwa
| 12/05/25 vs Viewpoint | 9 |
| 12/04/25 vs Triumph Charter | 14 |
| 12/02/25 @ West Ranch | 11 |
Golden Valley's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Morgan Mendenhall, who posted nine points and three steals, and Krysta Ezenwa, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Ezenwa has been hot recently, having posted nine or more boards the last three times she's played. Thempsey Austin-Pugh also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.
While Fillmore didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Hueneme 51-8. The game marked the Flashes' most dominant win of the season so far.
Fillmore's win came from a few key players Golden Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hermelinda Ocegueda, who put up four points in addition to 12 rebounds and seven assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucy Murillo, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and ten boards.
Fillmore smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.
Fillmore pushed their record up to 5-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 19.7 points on average over those games. As for Golden Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Golden Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fillmore struggles in that department as they've been averaging 54.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
