Even though the West Branch Warriors have not done well against the Juniata Valley Hornets recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. West Branch snuck past Juniata Valley with a 52-47 win. That's another feather in the cap for West Branch, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.
West Branch's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jenna Mertz, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds. Mertz set a new season high mark in blocks with seven. The team also got some help courtesy of Sarah Guglielmi, who scored 13 points along with five assists.
Despite the loss, Juniata Valley had strong showings from Anna Taylor, who scored 21 points along with four steals, and Maddie Hopsicker, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. That's the first time this season that Hopsicker scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Kassidy Watson, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds.
West Branch now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Juniata Valley, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-5.
West Branch will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Glendale at 6:30 p.m. on January 12, 2024. Juniata Valley and Southern Huntingdon County will round out the year against one another at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday at. Southern Huntingdon County is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road.
