Basketball Recap: Marana Proves Higher State Rank Is No Mistake

The third road contest was the charm for Marana, as they earned their first road win of the season. They walked away with a 71-60 victory over the Artesia Pioneers on Saturday. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 155th in Arizona, while the Pioneers are ranked 400th in California), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Marana has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 4-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points per game. As for Artesia, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-5.

After both having extra time off, Marana and Pueblo will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025. One thing working in Marana's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season. As for Artesia, they will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Wiseburn- Da Vinci at 6:00 p.m. on January 3, 2025.