The Erie Royals are taking a road trip to take on the Redbank Valley Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Erie is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Fort LeBoeuf 66-17 on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
| 01/22/24 vs Butler | 21 |
| 12/11/23 @ North East | 20 |
| 01/17/25 vs Fort LeBoeuf | 18 |
| 01/04/24 vs Fort LeBoeuf | 14 |
| 01/15/24 vs Corry | 14 |
Erie's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Deaja Williams led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on 18 points and nine boards. That's the most points Williams has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Aubrey Neavins, who went 7 of 12 on her way to 15 points.
Erie was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Elk County Catholic typically has all the answers at home, but on Saturday Redbank Valley proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with a 52-41 win over the Crusaders. The victory was nothing new for the Bulldogs as they're now sitting on three straight.
Erie better keep an eye on Mylee Harmon. She was instrumental in Redbank Valley's win, going 7 for 9 en route to 19 points along with seven assists and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Harmon has scored at least a third of Redbank Valley's points. Kira Bonanno was another key player, going 5 of 12 on her way to 10 points and seven rebounds.
Redbank Valley is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.6 points per game. As for Erie, their record now sits at 6-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Erie has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Redbank Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Erie ended up a good deal behind Redbank Valley in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, losing 57-43. Can Erie avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
