Basketball Game Preview: Marcos de Niza Padres vs. Saguaro Sabercats

The Marcos de Niza Padres will head out to face off against the Saguaro Sabercats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Marcos de Niza is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They took a 63-55 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mesquite. While the Padres didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Wildcats 16-9 in the first quarter.

Marcos de Niza might have lost, but man, James Steward was a machine: he dropped a double-double on 26 points and 20 rebounds. Steward's evening made it nine games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Drew Dana was another key player, going 7 for 16 on his way to 16 points.

Meanwhile, Saguaro unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took an 81-66 bruising from St. Mary's.

Marcos de Niza's loss dropped their record down to 14-11. As for Saguaro, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-7.

Marcos de Niza ended up a good deal behind Saguaro in their previous meeting two weeks ago, losing 87-68. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Saguaro's Bentley Elrod, who went 8 of 15 en route to 22 points. Now that Marcos de Niza knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.