Basketball Game Preview: Sahuaro Cougars vs. Cactus Shadows Falcons

The Sahuaro Cougars are taking a road trip to square off against the Cactus Shadows Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cactus Shadows took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Sahuaro, who comes in off a win.

Sahuaro is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 73-37 victory over Yuma. The Cougars' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Carly Coolidge and Biale Sika were among the main playmakers for Sahuaro as the former went 9-for-17 on her way to 22 points along with six assists and four steals and the latter almost dropped a double-double with 16 points and nine boards. What's more, Sika posted five assists, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Dazmyne Gambrell was another key player, putting up 11 points and six rebounds.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Sahuaro was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Cactus Shadows played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Salpointe Catholic and fell 74-28. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 78th, while the Lancers are ranked third).

Sahuaro will have to contain Mateja Cousins as she made an impact in Cactus Shadows' last game. She went 7-for-16 to rack up 17 points. That was a full 60.7% of Cactus Shadows' points, marking the third time in a row Cousins has put up more than a third of the team's points.

Sahuaro's win bumped their record up to 21-9. As for Cactus Shadows, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sahuaro has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28 boards per game. However, it's not like Cactus Shadows struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.