Basketball Game Preview: Camelback Spartans vs. Maryvale Panthers

Camelback and Maryvale are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2014, but not for long. The Camelback Spartans will square off against the Maryvale Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Having struggled with eight defeats in a row, Camelback turned things around against Browne on Friday. They breezed by the Bruins to the tune of 76-42. That 34 point margin sets a new team best for the Spartans this season.

Camelback's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Aken Logan, who posted 16 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. The matchup was Logan's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jaylin Ideran, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine boards.

Camelback smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Maryvale). They had just enough and edged Rincon/University out 82-79. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.

Maryvale has also been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points per game. As for Camelback, their victory ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-11.

Camelback beat Maryvale 66-59 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Camelback since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.