Basketball Recap: Willow Canyon Comes Up Short

Willow Canyon lost against Sunrise Mountain back in January, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Willow Canyon Wildcats took a blow against the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs, falling 72-29. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Mustangs are ranked 28th).

Kayla Preston

Rebounds

02/07/25 @ Sunrise Mountain	10
02/04/25 vs Kellis	13
01/29/25 @ Centennial	21
01/27/25 @ Ironwood	9
01/23/25 vs Boulder Creek	9
+ 14 more games

Despite the loss, Willow Canyon had strong showings from Maya Marshall, who posted 11 points and seven boards, and Kayla Preston, who earned six points and ten rebounds. Preston is crushing it when it comes to boards: she's pulled down at least eight every time she's taken the court this season.

Even though they lost, Willow Canyon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.

Savanna Dotray was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double with 20 points and ten rebounds for Sunrise Mountain. That's the most points Dotray has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Abby Leahy, who dropped a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards.

Willow Canyon's defeat dropped their record down to 12-8. As for Sunrise Mountain, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-3.

Willow Canyon has already played their next contest, a 58-46 victory against Centennial on the 10th. As for Sunrise Mountain, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 67-28 win against Ironwood on the 11th.