Preview: Desert Vista Thunder vs. Gilbert Tigers
The Desert Vista Thunder's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Gilbert Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Desert Vista posted their biggest win since December 12, 2023 on Thursday. They breezed by Highland on the road to the tune of 92-44. With Desert Vista ahead 49-28 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Desert Vista's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dylan Swindle led the charge by scoring 25 points along with two steals. Trinity Jones was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with six steals.
Meanwhile, Gilbert entered their tilt with Corona del Sol with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Gilbert blew past Corona del Sol, posting a 72-25 victory on the road. Given Gilbert's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while Corona del Sol is ranked 171st), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Gilbert's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Morgan Evenson, who scored 14 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Caia Campbell, who scored seven points along with seven assists and seven steals.
Desert Vista has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. As for Gilbert, their victory was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-2.
Tuesday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Desert Vista have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 29.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Gilbert struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 32.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Desert Vista against Gilbert in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 81-54 victory. Will Desert Vista repeat their success, or does Gilbert have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
