Basketball Recap: Yuma Piles Up the Points Against Desert Sunrise

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Yuma). They simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat the Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks 92-61. The Criminals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 31 points or more this season.

Yuma's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Elmer Emerson, who went 9 for 15 on his way to 25 points and six rebounds. Nick Amador was another key player, dropping a double-double on 20 points and ten assists.

Criminals

Assists

01/05/24 vs Kofa	24
01/07/25 vs Desert Sunrise	23
01/25/24 vs Moon Valley	21
12/05/24 @ San Luis	20
01/31/24 @ Shadow Mountain	19

Yuma was working as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2024.

Desert Sunrise's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ky'Jaun Mccutcheon, who posted 30 points and seven rebounds, and Jaxen Young, who had 25 points. That was a full 49.2% of Desert Sunrise's points, marking the eighth time in a row he's put up more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Vladimir Robles, who posted six points.

Yuma now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Desert Sunrise, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-12 record this season.

Yuma will venture away from home to square off against Coronado at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Yuma is facing Coronado at the right time seeing as Coronado is stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Desert Sunrise, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 72-38 defeat against Cactus Shadows on the 8th.