Basketball Game Preview: Pinnacle Pioneers vs. Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions

Pinnacle is 8-2 against Mountain Ridge since January of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Pinnacle Pioneers will face off against the Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions at 7:00 p.m. Pinnacle knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past five matches -- so hopefully Mountain Ridge likes a good challenge.

Pinnacle is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: O'Connor, who was ranked 21st at the time (Pinnacle was ranked eighth). Pinnacle fell to O'Connor 61-57. The Pioneers' defeat signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, Pinnacle had strong showings from Norah Moo, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds, and Rylee Fraley, who went 7 of 14 on her way to 16 points in addition to six boards and five assists. Moo is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down nine or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Shishawna Begay, who posted 12 points.

Even though they lost, Pinnacle smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 12 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Mountain Ridge didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Boulder Creek on Wednesday, but they still walked away with a 39-34 win.

Mountain Ridge's victory bumped their record up to 6-13. As for Pinnacle, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-5.

Everything came up roses for Pinnacle against Mountain Ridge when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as the squad secured an 83-33 win. Does Pinnacle have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mountain Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.