Basketball Game Preview: Marcos de Niza Padres vs. Cortez Colts

The Marcos de Niza Padres will head out on the road to take on the Cortez Colts at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Marcos de Niza is likely headed into the match with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against La Joya Community on Tuesday. Marcos de Niza was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 28-27 to La Joya Community. The Padres have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Nailani Joe

Steals

12/10/24 vs La Joya Community	4
12/09/24 vs Desert Sunrise	5
12/06/24 @ Moon Valley	3
12/05/24 @ Tempe	3
11/27/24 vs Metro Tech	2
11/26/24 vs Camelback	9

Despite the loss, Marcos de Niza saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Nailani Joe posted eight points along with 13 boards and four steals. Joe has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played.

Meanwhile, Cortez was able to grind out a solid win over Shadow Mountain on Wednesday, taking the game 46-37.

The victory got Cortez back to even at 1-1. As for Marcos de Niza, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.

Marcos de Niza might still be hurting after the 43-20 loss they got from Cortez when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Can Marcos de Niza avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.