With two months of action-packed games behind the Spartans this season and the state tournament just around the corner, the girls and boys basketball teams are about to face their hometown rival for the second time this season. The Spartans will go head to head against the Bettendorf Bulldogs in a double header on Tuesday, February 6th. This time, the event will be hosted by Pleasant Valley.
For a large part of the season, the Pleasant Valley Girls’ Basketball program stood undefeated with a winning streak of 20 games. The long-standing streak ended when the Spartans suffered a loss to the North Scott Lancers late in January. The Lady Spartans now stand 18-1 and are ranked 8th in Class 5A looking into the double header.
In the last Pleasant Valley-Bettendorf double header, the lady Spartans took down Bettendorf with a 51-35 victory. Hoping for another win, senior member of the Pleasant Valley Girls’ Basketball team and former member of Bettendorf’s Girls Basketball team, Taylor Gau, said, “It seems they (Bettendorf) always play their hardest against PV because it’s a rivalry game, so I would expect nothing less than their best effort.” Gau has had the experience of being on both teams. “This (Pleasant Valley) is the team I grew up playing with. We have a lot of chemistry and play with a lot of heart that no other team can compare to,” Gau said. Both teams will play to their strengths in this highly-anticipated game. “To me, our team’s greatest strength is playing with heart and when we do, no team can compete with us.”
After the conclusion of the girls’ game, the Pleasant Valley Boys Basketball team will also face Bettendorf. In the lead of the Mississippi Athletic Conference with a 14-2 record overall, the Spartans are currently ranked 5th in the state. In their last match-up with the Bulldogs, the Pleasant Valley boys’ program battled to a 63-54 victory.
Junior member of Pleasant Valley Boys’ Basketball team, Carter Duwa, feels confident in where the Spartans stand going into this game. “We expect Bettendorf to give us their best shot,” Duwa said. “They have an elite player on their team, but we know that one guy can’t beat our whole team.” Duwa also hopes to advance to state with the final games around the corner. “I think our team has a great chance for all of our state games. Coach Hillman has prepared us well for these important games, and we expect to get every teams’ best shot because we are first in the MAC.” It’s hard to say which team will come out on top, as both PV and Bettendorf’s teams have strong players. “Our greatest strength is how balanced our team is,” Duwa stated. “We all play our roles very well which makes us really tough to beat.”
Come out the PVHS gym to support the Spartans in their last double header of the season. The girls tip off their game at 6pm, with the boys’ contest beginning shortly after the conclusion of the girls’ game.
