RPAC Rundown Featured Matchup Preview: Southern Valley at Bertrand

On Thursday, January 8th, 2026, there's a matchup between a couple of RPAC East foes as Bertrand will host Southern Valley for a girls and boys basketball double-header.

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Southern Valley Girls Basketball

• Record: Southern Valley is 5-7 this season, dropping three games in a row as of late.

• Head Coach: Richard McDonald, 8th year as the Head Coach, 118-67 record.

• So far this season, the Eagles are still looking to find their stride, averaging 39.3 points per game. They have had some games in which they have scored well, three games over 40 points, so we will see as the season goes on if they can develop some consistency.

• On defense, the Eagles are allowing opponents an average of 44.6 points per game.

• Sophomore Emercen Lovitt has been an effective scorer for the Eagles, scoring 13.8 points per game, while shooting just under 40% from the field. Senior Tori Bose is having another big season for Southern Valley, averaging about 13 points per game and nearly 11 rebounds while shooting 40% from the field.

• The Eagles have a roster of players who are continuing to gain varsity experience. As the season goes on, I anticipate they will keep improving. Prior to this three-game skid against solid opponents, the Eagles had won four in a row.

• The Eagles are in the D1-11 Subdistrict with Arapahoe, Hi-Line, Maywood-Hayes Center, and Southwest.

Bertrand Girls Basketball

• Record: 4-7 this season. The Vikings have won three of their last five games.

• Head Coach: Trey Stutheit, 3rd season as Head Coach, 20-37 record.

• On offense, the Vikings are in a similar situation, trying to find their footing, averaging 34.2 points per game. They have had four games in which they have scored at least 40 points.

• Defensively, the Vikings are allowing 43.3 points per game on average.

• Senior Addison Andersen has been the team's leading scorer at 13.2 points per game. Both sophomore Adrian Sand and junior Livia Philips are scoring around seven points per game, too.

• Bertrand, like Southern Valley, has a mix of experienced players and a number of athletes getting more acclimated to the varsity game.

• Bertrand is in the D2-7 Subdistrict with Franklin, Loomis, and Wilcox-Hildreth.

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Southern Valley Boys Basketball

• Record: The Eagles are 3-8 this season so far, and most recently, they fell to Southwest on Saturday.

• Head Coach: Ashley Huerta, in her first year as the head coach. She is a Southern Valley Graduate and spent recent years as an assistant on the girls' basketball coaching staff at Southern Valley.

• The Eagles have been able to score at a solid rate, averaging 50.3 points per game.

• Their defensive average is similar, as they have played a handful of close games, allowing 53.6 points per game.

• Isaac Hamilton has been an excellent offensive lead option for the Eagles, averaging 18 points per game. He's knocked down 27 three pointers and can score at all three levels.

• Freshman Hunter Lans is the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging around 11 points per game, and is a solid facilitator with three assists per game.

• This team is incredibly intriguing and, from what I have seen, is better than their 3-8 record. They play really hard on both ends.

• Southern Valley is in the D1-11 Subdistrict with Arapahoe, Bertrand, Cambridge, and Southwest.

Bertrand Boys Basketball

• Record: Bertrand is 8-3; they have won seven of their last eight games.

• Head Coach: Marcus Schwarz, first season as the head coach. Spent 12 seasons as an assistant for the boys program.

• The Vikings have found success on offense, averaging about 60 points per game.

• On defense, the Vikings have been tough, too, allowing an average of 48.5 points per game.

• The Vikings have several options on offense. Their top-three scorers are seniors Thunder Nelson and Scottie Bieker at 20.2 points per game and 18.8 points per game, and Hunter Nelson at 9.6 points per game on average. Bieker is tough on the glass, too, averaging 12.6 rebounds per game.

• Defensively, this team does a great job, getting about 11 steals and six blocks per game.

• Thunder Nelson is getting six of those steals, and Scotttie Bieker and Marshall Steinbrink are combining for about four blocks per game.

• Bertrand is in the D1-11 Subdistrict, which includes Arapahoe, Cambridge, Southern Valley, and Southwest.