The Menaul Panthers suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Tuesday. They had to suffer through a rough 80-34 loss at the hands of Valley. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Menaul has scored all season.
When it comes to explaining why Menaul lost, one person who can't be blamed is Nojus Zalenekas. Despite the final result, he scored 18 points along with five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Chavez, who scored seven points along with two steals.
Menaul struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Valley pulled down 16 offensive rebounds.
Valley was led to victory by Julian Chavez and Rosendo Roybal. Chavez scored 14 points along with five steals, while Roybal scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Roybal has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Tyler Kozlowski, who scored ten points along with three steals.
Menaul has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-4 record this season. As for Valley, the win was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-3.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Menaul will take on Santa Fe Prep at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Santa Fe Prep's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last five contests. Valley won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Valencia at 7:00 p.m. on January 10th. Valencia will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps New Mexico Rankings (they are ranked 51st, while Valley is ranked seventh).
