Spring Valley HS vs Gray Collegiate Academy

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pair of the Midlands' premier teams took a break from facing off against region opponents for a 2A vs. 5A get-together as the coach Megan Assey's Vikings took on coach Brandon Wallace's War Eagles.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was the first girls basketball meeting ever between the two schools – and said first game proved to be very auspicious for the team representing the homestanding Gray Collegiate Academy. The War Eagles earned a very resounding 54-23 victory over Spring Valley.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The win for the War Eagles runs their record to 14-6. As for the Vikings, their 2022-23 mark drops to 15-6. Gray Collegiate has three games remaining on its schedule while Spring Valley has five left.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>New and Improved</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the beginning of the calendar year, Gray Collegiate opened up a brand new basketball arena for its women's and men's hoops teams. It is part of a school-wide upgrade the private charter school is undergoing which includes an overhaul of its athletics facilities.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prior to the ribbon cutting of Gray Collegiate's new “War Zone,” teams had to travel to Allen University for region and playoff games. The War Eagles now have two wins (the other was in the stadium's debut against Fairfield Central) and one loss (Keenan) since the new venue opened.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The arena seats 1,500.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>How Things Progressed</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If the first few minutes were any indication, it would have hinted at a competitive contest between the two teams. At one point, the Vikings had a 4-3 lead. It would be the last time Spring Valley had an edge in this game. Gray Collegiate finished the opening stanza with a 15-0 run and concluded the first quarter having led 18-4.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The War Eagles continued to impose its offensive will on Spring Valley in the second quarter and the Vikings defense had very few answers. When both teams went into their respective locker rooms for halftime, Gray Collegiate's lead had expanded to 34-9.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This matchup's victor appeared to be no longer in doubt – the only question was what the point margin would be. That point margin would be 31.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Primetime Performers</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":589630,"width":325,"height":212,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/IMG_9496-crop-3226x2118-1674702174.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-589630" width="325" height="212" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two War Eagles finished with 11 points to lead what was a balanced scoring attack for Gray Collegiate. One was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124108' first='Maliyiah' last='Mason']</strong>, who proved to be every bit as effective a rebounder as she is a scorer. Two words. Unsigned. Senior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":589632,"width":331,"height":216,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/IMG_9498-crop-3446x2263-1674702297.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-589632" width="331" height="216" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gray Collegiate was also benefitted by an 11-point outing courtesy of junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='185424' first='Jordan' last='Mintz']</strong>. The War Eagles drained four 3-pointers for the game and three of those departed from Mintz's hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":589635,"width":333,"height":218,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/IMG_9500-crop-3552x2333-1674702408.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-589635" width="333" height="218" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of guards, sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401008' first='Diamond' last='Tatum']</strong> finished with a nine-point effort. In addition to what she can get accomplished as a scorer, she is effective at running point and makes the right passes at the right times. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":589640,"width":331,"height":216,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/IMG_9410-crop-2141x1406-1674702538.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-589640" width="331" height="216" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With seven points, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='268138' first='Zie'l' last='Ratchford']</strong> was the leading Vikings point-getter on what was a tough evening at the office for Spring Valley. Defense and rebounding are two of many other strong points Ratchford possesses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Up Next…</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams return to region play this Friday. The War Eagles will remain home to host Eau Claire and the Vikings will be on the road at Rock Hill.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->