Basketball Game Preview: McClintock Chargers vs. Mesa Jackrabbits

McClintock is 0-4 against Mesa since January of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The McClintock Chargers just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Mesa Jackrabbits at 7:00 p.m. McClintock is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.2 points per game this season.

McClintock is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Carl Hayden Community: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that McClintock blew Carl Hayden Community out of the water with a 63-24 final score. Given the Chargers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th, while the Falcons are ranked 168th), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.

McClintock found their leader in sophomore Niya Gamble, who went 7 of 11 on her way to 18 points and eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Isabella Franco, who posted eight points and four steals.

Meanwhile, Mesa suffered their biggest defeat since February 13th on Thursday. They were outmatched by Sunnyslope and fell 58-28. The Jackrabbits were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-8.

Mesa moved to 3-4 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for McClintock, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-1.

McClintock was taken down by Mesa 45-17 when the teams last played back in November of 2023. Thankfully for McClintock, Amya Bekele (who went 6 of 9 on her way to 13 points in addition to six boards and three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.