Basketball Recap: Mountain Ridge's Run of Five Straight Victories Now Over

Mountain Ridge won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Saturday. 2025 welcomed they with a 77-55 loss courtesy of the John Paul II Cardinals. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Mountain Lions came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 102nd in Arizona, while the Cardinals are ranked 417th in Texas).

Mountain Ridge's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dylan Donovan, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 19 points. The dominant performance gave Donovan a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaiden Thompson, who posted 15 points and six rebounds.

vs

Previous 1 Games

01/04/25 - Neutral

55-77 L

Even though they lost, Mountain Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season.

With the loss, Mountain Ridge broke their five-game winning streak and moved their record to 8-7. As for John Paul II, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 14-12.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Mountain Ridge will square off against Deer Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mountain Ridge knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 contests -- so hopefully Deer Valley likes a good challenge. As for John Paul II, they will take on DasCHE at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in John Paul II's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four matchups.