Basketball Recap: Santa Cruz Valley Comes Up Short

After flying high against ALA - Anthem South last Friday, Santa Cruz Valley came back down to earth. The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils came up short against the Apache Junction Prospectors on Monday, falling 63-39. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Dust Devils this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 45-37 back in November of 2024.

Despite the loss, Santa Cruz Valley still got an impressive performance from Nathan Harris, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 16 boards. Another player making a difference was Ty Jarius Salazar, who posted ten points and three steals.

Apache Junction found their leader in sophomore Roy Nelson, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds. Nelson also set a new season-high mark in blocks with four. Donovan Triana was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 11 boards.

Santa Cruz Valley's loss dropped their record down to 8-6. As for Apache Junction, their victory ended a 15-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 7-13.

Santa Cruz Valley didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 59-52 defeat against Heritage Academy on the 16th. As for Apache Junction, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 57-48 loss against Seton Catholic on the 14th.