Basketball Game Preview: Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils vs. Apache Junction Prospectors

The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils will venture away from home to square off against the Apache Junction Prospectors at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Apache Junction took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Santa Cruz Valley, who comes in off a win.

Last Friday, Santa Cruz Valley got the win against ALA - Anthem South by a conclusive 50-27. The Dust Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 22 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Apache Junction was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They were outmatched by Florence and fell 68-35. While losing is never fun, the Prospectors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 253rd, while the Gophers are ranked 39th).

Santa Cruz Valley is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.8 points per game. As for Apache Junction, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-13.

Santa Cruz Valley came up short against Apache Junction in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 45-37. Can Santa Cruz Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.