The Surprise Valley Hornets pushed their score all the way to 62 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 70-62 to Hayfork. Surprise Valley has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
When it comes to explaining why Surprise Valley lost, one person who can't be blamed is Casey Grove. Despite the final result, he scored 27 points along with six rebounds and five steals. Grove has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Iina Nabahe-Henry, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Leading Hayfork to victory were Levi Cavalli and Anthony Bonelli. Cavalli dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Bonelli dropped a double-double on 24 points and 19 rebounds. Cavalli is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 14 games he's played. Evan Pickett was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Surprise Valley's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-12. As for Hayfork, the victory (which was their tenth in a row) raised their record to 18-6.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Surprise Valley will square off against Tulelake at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Surprise Valley is coming into the matchup with three straight defeats on the road, meaning Tulelake will have to defend against a squad hungry for a win. As for Hayfork, they will square off against Butte Valley at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hayfork knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matchups -- so hopefully Butte Valley likes a good challenge.
