The Dakota Valley Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Dell Rapids Quarriers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Tuesday, Dakota Valley faced Vermillion in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Dakota Valley took a 69-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Vermillion. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Despite the loss, Dakota Valley got a solid performance out of Cameryn Sommervold, who scored 16 points along with two blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophie Tuttle, who scored ten points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Dell Rapids' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They were outmatched by Mt. Vernon/Plankinton on the road and fell 75-44. Dell Rapids has not had much luck with Mt. Vernon/Plankinton recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Dakota Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 11-6. As for Dell Rapids, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-17.
Dakota Valley strolled past Dell Rapids in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a score of 49-34. Will Dakota Valley repeat their success, or does Dell Rapids have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.