Basketball Recap: Cactus Drops Season-High Score on Desert Sunrise

Cobras

Team Score (Highest)

12/04/25 vs Desert Sunrise	78
12/02/25 @ Coconino	61
11/21/25 @ Notre Dame Prep	48
11/19/25 vs Dysart	41

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cactus). They strolled past the Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks with points to spare on Thursday, taking the game 78-59. With that win, the Cobras brought their scoring average up to 56.5 points per game.

Cactus' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Aden Thiesse, who dropped a double-double with 19 points and ten boards. Thiesse is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Ayden Lynn, who shot 60% from the field en route to 14 points along with six assists and five rebounds.

Cactus was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since the start of last season.

Despite the loss, Desert Sunrise saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jaxen Young posted 16 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Pharrell Hollister, who had 12 points.

Cactus' first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Desert Sunrise, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season.

Cactus will square off against Paradise Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Trojans will roll in looking for their sixth straight victory, something the Cobras surely won't give up without a fight. As for Desert Sunrise, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 67-44 win against Poston Butte on the 5th.