The North Valleys Panthers pushed their score all the way to 56 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 61-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Wooster. North Valleys has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
North Valleys' loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Josh Hunter, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Kadyn Shackelford, who scored 13 points along with two steals and two blocks.
North Valleys struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Wooster pulled down 14 offensive rebounds.
Wooster was led to victory by Jared Marquicias and Jamal Gaitor. Marquicias scored 15 points along with four steals, while Gaitor dropped a double-double on 21 points and 14 rebounds. Gaitor has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Fernando Cisneros, who scored eight points.
North Valleys' defeat dropped their record down to 10-12. As for Wooster, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a massive bump to their 15-10 record this season.
North Valleys will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Fernley at 7:30 p.m. on February 13th. Fernley will roll in looking for their 15th straight win, something North Valleys surely won't give up without a fight. As for Wooster, they will be playing at home against Spring Creek at 5:15 p.m. on Monday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Nevada (Spring Creek is ranked 34th, while Wooster is ranked 47th).
