Pymatuning Valley has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Harding Skippers at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Pymatuning Valley focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Thursday.
Pymatuning Valley was handed a 28-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against the Bombers on Thursday. Pymatuning Valley skirted past the Bombers 48-45. The win was just what Pymatuning Valley needed coming off of a 59-31 loss in their prior game.
Leah DeMoss continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 15 points along with five assists and two steals. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. Taryn Tisch was another key contributor, scoring four points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Harding has not had quite the year their fans were hoping for to this point, but back-to-back wins may be a sign of good things to come. They were the clear victor by a 37-16 margin over Kingsway Christian.
Madisen Mcfadden was her usual excellent self, scoring 22 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Harding's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Hunt, who scored seven points along with four blocks and two steals.
Pymatuning Valley's record is now 10-6. Harding's record now sits at 7-12.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Pymatuning Valley have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Harding struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Pymatuning Valley against the Skippers in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 50-10 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pymatuning Valley since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.