Basketball Game Preview: Palo Verde Titans vs. ALA - Ironwood Warriors

The Palo Verde Titans will venture away from home to challenge the ALA - Ironwood Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Palo Verde is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Alchesay 58-36. The Titans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 games by 22 points or more this season.

Rashad Ortiz

Blocked Shots (Career)

02/18/25 vs Alchesay	2
02/14/25 @ San Tan Charter	1
02/04/25 @ Tanque Verde	1
01/17/25 @ Pusch Ridge Christian Academy	1
12/19/24 vs Ironwood Ridge	1

Palo Verde got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Rashad Ortiz out in front who went 5-for-9 to rack up 17 points and four steals. The dominant performance also gave Ortiz a new career-high in blocks (two). Another player making a difference was Adrian Powers, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

Palo Verde smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 14 consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask ALA - Ironwood). They breezed past Thatcher to the tune of 87-49 on Tuesday. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Warriors with their most commanding win of the season.

Palo Verde pushed their record up to 22-5 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 43.6 points. As for ALA - Ironwood, their win bumped their record up to 18-10.

Palo Verde was able to grind out a solid victory over ALA - Ironwood in their previous matchup back in January, winning 60-50. The rematch might be a little tougher for Palo Verde since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.