Basketball Game Preview: Combs Coyotes vs. Marcos de Niza Padres

Two dominant forwards in Quinmetris Cunningham and James Steward are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Combs Coyotes will be playing in front of their home fans against the Marcos de Niza Padres at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

On Wednesday, Combs lost to ALA - Queen Creek on the road by a 65-46 margin. The Coyotes have struggled against the Patriots recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Meanwhile, Marcos de Niza was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. The match between them and Cactus Shadows didn't end well, with Marcos de Niza falling 71-55.

Combs will need focus on slowing down Steward, one of several Marcos de Niza players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds. Steward is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last 19 games he's played dating back to last season. Jeidarion Richard was another key player, putting up 13 points and five boards.

Combs' defeat dropped their record down to 10-7. As for Marcos de Niza, their loss dropped their record down to 11-7.

Combs came up short against Marcos de Niza when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 63-57. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Steward, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 11 rebounds. Now that Combs knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.