Basketball Recap: Ty Shull's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Willcox over Thatcher

Willcox lost against Thatcher back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. 2025 welcomed the Willcox Cowboys with a 67-45 loss courtesy of the Thatcher Eagles.

Willcox's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ty Shull, who went 5 for 12 on his way to 15 points and three steals. The dominant performance gave Shull a new career-high in points. JD Whetten was another key player, going 5 of 8 on his way to 14 points.

Wade Hull went supernova for Thatcher, going 6 of 8 from beyond the arc on his way to 24 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaac Palmer, who went 6 of 8 on his way to 13 points.

Willcox's defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Thatcher, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season.

Willcox has already played their next match, a 49-46 loss against Benson on the 7th. As for Thatcher, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 61-49 defeat against Marana on the 4th.