Preview: Mesquite Wildcats vs. Thunderbird Titans
Mesquite is 3-0 against Thunderbird since November of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. Having just played yesterday, the Mesquite Wildcats will jump right back in to play the Thunderbird Titans at 4:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
On Thursday, Mesquite strolled past Carl Hayden Community with points to spare, taking the game 83-64. Given Mesquite's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 18th, while Carl Hayden Community is ranked 103rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Desean Middlebrook was his usual excellent self, scoring 33 points along with eight rebounds. The match was his seventh in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jaylen Wollangk, who scored eight points along with nine assists.
Meanwhile, Thunderbird was able to grind out a solid win over Central on Thursday, taking the game 68-61. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Thunderbird.
Thunderbird relied on the efforts of Will Clark, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds, and Paris Strozier jr, who scored 16 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Those 15 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Calcaterra, who scored eight points along with ten rebounds.
Mesquite is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season. As for Thunderbird, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 11-3.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Mesquite have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 45.2% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Thunderbird struggles in that department as they've nailed 46.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Mesquite against Thunderbird in their previous matchup back in February as the team secured a 84-55 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mesquite since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
