Basketball Game Preview: Marcos de Niza Padres vs. Combs Coyotes

Two dominant forwards in James Steward and Quinmetris Cunningham are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Marcos de Niza Padres will face off against the Combs Coyotes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Marcos de Niza's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five matchups.

Last Monday, Marcos de Niza ended up a good deal behind Cactus Shadows and lost 71-55. The Padres have struggled against the Falcons recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Steward, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds. He is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last 19 games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Jeidarion Richard, who posted 13 points and five boards.

Meanwhile, Combs lost to ALA - Queen Creek on the road by a 65-46 margin on Wednesday. The Coyotes were down 53-31 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Combs dropped their record down to 10-7 with the loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Marcos de Niza, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-7.

Marcos de Niza didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Combs when the teams last played back in December of 2023, but they still walked away with a 63-57 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Marcos de Niza since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.