Basketball Recap: Desert Sunrise Takes a Loss

Desert Sunrise was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They were outmatched by the Eastmark Firebirds and fell 59-32. While losing is never fun, the Golden Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 288th, while the Firebirds are ranked 84th).

Desert Sunrise lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Ky'Jaun Mccutcheon, who posted 12 points. That was a full 37.5% of Desert Sunrise's points, marking the seventh time in a row he's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ladamian Jackson, who earned ten points.

Jayson Paulo had a dynamite game for Eastmark, dropping a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds. That's the most boards Paulo has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Dorian Lewis, who put up eight points and seven rebounds.

Desert Sunrise's loss dropped their record down to 1-10. As for Eastmark, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-3.

Desert Sunrise didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 70-50 defeat against Walden Grove on the 28th. As for Eastmark, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 57-50 win against Maricopa on the 28th.