Basketball Game Preview: Salpointe Catholic Lancers vs. Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks

The Salpointe Catholic Lancers will take on the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Salpointe Catholic will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.

On Saturday, Salpointe Catholic was able to grind out a solid win over Notre Dame Prep, taking the game 49-39. Given the Lancers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked first, while the Saints are ranked 67th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Allison Even

Rebounds

02/01/25 @ Notre Dame Prep	9
12/08/23 vs Liberty	9
12/27/23 vs Christian Brothers	9
11/20/23 @ Horizon	8
11/24/23 vs Sunnyslope	7

Salpointe Catholic can attribute much of their success to Allison Even, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards. That's the most rebounds Even has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Dagnino, who posted nine points.

Meanwhile, Ironwood Ridge came into Wednesday's match having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They skirted past Walden Grove 42-40. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Nighthawks have posted since December 7, 2023.

Salpointe Catholic pushed their record up to 20-4 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.1 points per game. As for Ironwood Ridge, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-12.

Everything came up roses for Salpointe Catholic against Ironwood Ridge when the teams last played back in January, as the team secured a 62-28 win. In that game, Salpointe Catholic amassed a halftime lead of 44-12, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.