Basketball Game Preview: Pike Valley Panthers vs. Natoma Tigers

Pike Valley has gone 9-1 against Natoma recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Pike Valley Panthers face off against the Natoma Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Natoma took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Pike Valley, who comes in off a win.

Last Friday, Pike Valley didn't have too much trouble with Stockton as they won 52-36.

Pike Valley found their leader in sophomore Dayton Reeves, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine steals. Those nine steals set a new season-high mark for Reeves. The team also got some help courtesy of Ezra Benne, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 10 points and four steals.

Pike Valley was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Natoma played a tough matchup on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Lincoln and fell 62-26. The defeat continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Leopards: they've now lost five in a row.

Pike Valley will have to keep a close watch on Kelden Rubottom and Israel Bos, a pair of players who had a big impact on Natoma's prior game. Rubottom posted 11 points and three blocks, while Bos earned three points. That was a full 42.3% of Natoma's points, marking the third time in a row he's had more than a third of the team's points.

Natoma's loss dropped their record down to 2-11. As for Pike Valley, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-9.

Everything came up roses for Pike Valley against Natoma in their previous matchup back in January, as the squad secured a 56-19 victory. Does Pike Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Natoma turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.