vs
| 01/07/25 - Home | 49-46 W |
| 01/23/24 - Home | 54-33 W |
| 12/20/23 - Away | 48-31 W |
| 01/19/23 - Away | 58-15 W |
| 12/15/22 - Home | 52-35 W |
Portage is 5-0 against Cambria Heights since December of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Portage Mustangs will venture away from home to face off against the Cambria Heights Highlanders at 7:15 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Portage is headed into the game having just posted their closest win since January 7th on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged Conemaugh Township out 49-46. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.
Portage found their leader in sophomore Kendall Bednarski, who posted 33 points and eight steals. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Bednarski has scored at least a third of Portage's points. Another player making a difference was Liana Bagby, who earned 12 points and six boards.
Portage smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Conemaugh Township only pulled down eight offensive boards.
Meanwhile, Cambria Heights came tearing into Wednesday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by the Colts to the tune of 52-21. The Highlanders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 21 points or more this season.
Portage better keep an eye on Sienna Kirsch. She was instrumental in Cambria Heights' win, almost dropping a triple-double on 17 points, 16 rebounds, and nine steals. Kirsch has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 28 times she's played. Gracey Vinglish was another key player, going 6 of 14 en route to 14 points in addition to eight boards and three steals.
Cambria Heights has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.5 points per game. As for Portage, their victory bumped their record up to 11-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Portage has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 32.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Cambria Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Portage skirted past Cambria Heights 49-46 in their previous matchup on January 7th. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Kirsch, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 14 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Portage still be able to contain Kirsch? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
