Basketball Game Preview: Cumberland Valley Eagles vs. Altoona Mountain Lions

Cumberland Valley is 10-0 against Altoona since February of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Cumberland Valley Eagles are taking a road trip to square off against the Altoona Mountain Lions at 6:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Cumberland Valley has three straight victories, Altoona has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Cumberland Valley will head into Friday's contest having proved themselves against Central Dauphin: Cumberland Valley took a 22-point loss the last time they faced off against Central Dauphin, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Cumberland Valley narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Central Dauphin 63-60. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Eagles have posted against the Rams since December 20, 2021.

Nolan Buzalka was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 32 points and 17 boards. The match was his third in a row with at least ten points. Jj Lebo was another key player, putting up eight points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Altoona played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 69-29 defeat at the hands of Chambersburg. While losing is never fun, the Mountain Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 414th, while the Trojans are ranked 20th).

Cumberland Valley's win bumped their record up to 16-3. As for Altoona, their loss dropped their record down to 2-13.

Everything came up roses for Cumberland Valley against Altoona when the teams last played on January 2nd, as the squad secured a 74-46 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cumberland 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.