This season hasn't been kind to the Conemaugh Valley Blue Jays, who are still winless after their tenth matchup. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 61-37 walloping at the hands of Blacklick Valley on Monday. While losing is never fun, Conemaugh Valley can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 608th, while Blacklick Valley is ranked 191st).
Several Blue Jays players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Illyana Darcangelo, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Darcangelo continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Julia Stiffler was another key contributor, scoring six points along with nine rebounds and two blocks.
Blacklick Valley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kristin Szymusiak led the charge by dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten steals. Szymusiak is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Kaydence Killinger, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Conemaugh Valley bumped their record down to 0-10 with that loss, which was their 15th straight on the road. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 28.0 points per game. As for Blacklick Valley, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Conemaugh Valley will take on West Shamokin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Blacklick Valley, they will be playing at home against Shade at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Shade is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'.
