Columbia and Vallivue are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2021, but not for long. The Columbia Wildcats will host the Vallivue Falcons at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Thursday, Columbia was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 64-60 to Bishop Kelly. That's two games in a row now that the Wildcats have lost by exactly four points.
| 01/30/25 @ Bishop Kelly | 22 |
| 01/28/25 vs Middleton | 16 |
| 01/24/25 @ Caldwell | 11 |
| 01/22/25 @ Nampa | 21 |
| 01/18/25 @ Emmett | 13 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Blake Hansen, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 boards. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 15.4 points per game. Easton Lott was another key player, going 5 for 10 en route to 12 points.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Vallivue, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Nampa with a sharp 77-51 victory on Thursday. The Falcons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 20 points or more this season.
Vallivue found their leader in freshman Victor Gutierrez, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 21 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Xander Wilson, who went 7 for 11 en route to 14 points and eight boards.
Vallivue smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in four consecutive contests.
Vallivue's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-9. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points per game. As for Columbia, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Columbia has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 24.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Vallivue struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
