Avella has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Monessen Greyhounds at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Avella will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings (they are ranked 692nd, while Monessen is ranked 298th).
Avella suffered their biggest loss since December 12, 2023 on Thursday. They were dealt a 77-43 defeat at the hands of Geibel Catholic. Avella found out winning isn't easy when you make five fewer threes than your opponent.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Sydney Strope, who scored 19 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points she has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Frank, who scored ten points along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Meanwhile, Monessen came up short against Chartiers-Houston on Friday and fell 47-35.
Like Avella, Monessen lost despite seeing results from several players. MyAsia Majors led the charge by scoring eight points along with nine rebounds and two steals. Avanti Stitch was another key contributor, scoring five points along with seven rebounds.
Avella's defeat was their third straight at home, which bumped their record down to 2-11. As for Monessen, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.
Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Avella have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 29 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Monessen, though, as they've been averaging only 40.7 rebounds per game. Given Avella's sizeable advantage in that area, Monessen will need to find a way to close that gap.
Avella came up short against Monessen in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, falling 48-37. Can Avella avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
