Basketball Recap: Ash Fork Find Success

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Bagdad, Ash Fork was happy to have turned things around on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 56-53 win over the Grand Canyon Phantoms. This was payback for the Spartans, who suffered a 45-36 defeat the last time these two teams met.

Brian Purser

Rebounds (Career)

12/02/25 @ Grand Canyon	12
12/12/24 @ Williams	6
12/07/24 vs Patagonia	6
12/03/24 vs BASIS Flagstaff	6
01/20/25 @ Seligman	3

Ash Fork can attribute much of their success to Brian Purser, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards. Those 12 rebounds gave Purser a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jhovanny Vazquez, who posted seven points and five boards.

Ash Fork smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Grand Canyon lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Tristan Lambon, who went 7-for-17 en route to 21 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Mase Begay, who shot 62% from the field to rack up 20 points along with six boards and four blocks.

Ash Fork's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Grand Canyon, they are on a five-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-3.

Ash Fork wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 50-41 win against San Pasqual Valley on the 3rd. As for Grand Canyon, they will square off against Rough Rock at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.