Basketball Recap: Maricopa Comes Up Short + How To Watch

If Maricopa was feeling good fresh off their 72-47 takedown of Desert View on Wednesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Rams were outmatched by the Cienega Bobcats and fell 82-53. While losing is never fun, the Rams can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 162nd, while the Bobcats are ranked 32nd).

Maricopa's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Clayton Neal, who posted eight points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Mason Wyatt, who shot 62% from the field to rack up 13 points.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cienega to victory, but perhaps none more so than Austin Tritschler, who went 8-for-13 on his way to 23 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. Those eight rebounds gave Tritschler a new career-high. Jackson Moore also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.

Maricopa has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-4 record this season. As for Cienega, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-2.

Maricopa wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 79-62 defeat against Marana on the 9th. As for Cienega, they have also already played their next game, a 72-39 win against Mountain View on the 12th.