Preview: Brighton Charter Tigers vs. Thunderbird Adventist Academy
Brighton Charter is 0-3 against Thunderbird Adventist Academy since February of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Brighton Charter Tigers will head out on the road to take on Thunderbird Adventist Academy at 6:45 p.m. Brighton Charter has insisted on making their lastfour contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 3-1 during that stretch of close contests.
Brighton Charter scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 53-50 win over Jefferson Prep. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Brighton Charter has posted yet this season.
Jaziel Nunez was the offensive standout of the game as he scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Tyler Potter, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Thunderbird Adventist Academy came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 37.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 59-26 win over Paradise Valley Christian Prep on the road. Thunderbird Adventist Academy has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 24 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Thunderbird Adventist Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Gideon Orellana, who scored 20 points along with eight steals. Orellana is absolutely dominating the point category: he's posted at least 15 every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Malcolm Tucker, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Brighton Charter's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-6. As for Thunderbird Adventist Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Brighton Charter haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 6.5 turnovers per game. However, it's not like Thunderbird Adventist Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 9.4 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Brighton Charter suffered a grim 61-37 defeat to Thunderbird Adventist Academy in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. The contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Brighton Charter was down 51-16.
