Basketball Game Preview: Rio Rico Hawks vs. Santa Rita Eagles

Having just played yesterday, the Rio Rico Hawks will get right back to it and host the Santa Rita Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Rio Rico will come in still looking for their first win of the season.

On Tuesday, Rio Rico took a blow against Mica Mountain, falling 79-43. While losing is never fun, the Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 265th, while the Thunderbolts are ranked 93rd).

Meanwhile, Santa Rita won against Maryvale Prep last Tuesday with 65 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. Santa Rita simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat St. John Paul II Catholic 65-35. The match marked the Eagles' most dominant win of the season so far.

Rio Rico better keep an eye on David Gonzales. He was instrumental in Santa Rita's win, dropping a double-double on 28 points and ten rebounds. Gonzales also grabbed five steals, which is notable because Santa Rita is 2-1 when he posts at least three steals, but 1-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Vernon Johnson JR, who posted ten points in addition to five boards and four steals.

Santa Rita smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Santa Rita has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 3-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.5 points per game. As for Rio Rico, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.

Everything came up roses for Rio Rico against Santa Rita when the teams last played back in January of 2016, as the team secured a 69-34 victory. Will Rio Rico repeat their success, or does Santa Rita have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.