Basketball Game Preview: St. Mary's Knights vs. Marcos de Niza Padres

St. Mary has gone 7-0 against Marcos de Niza recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The St. Mary's Knights will host the Marcos de Niza Padres at 5:30 p.m. St. Mary's has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

St. Mary's is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They snuck past Saguaro with a 65-59 win on Friday.

St. Mary's had a senior duo take command as Sophia Bryant posted 18 points and Gwen Carter scored 16 points. Carter's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Ava Sierras, who put up eight points.

Meanwhile, Marcos de Niza was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their tenth straight loss. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 35-30 heartbreaker at the hands of Arcadia.

Despite the defeat, Marcos de Niza saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Abigail Cooper earned 14 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. That's the most points Cooper has posted since back in November of 2024. Nailani Joe was another key player, putting up three points and five steals.

Even though they lost, Marcos de Niza smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Marcos de Niza's loss dropped their record down to 4-16. As for St. Mary's, their victory bumped their record up to 5-9.

Everything came up roses for St. Mary's against Marcos de Niza in their previous matchup on January 7th, as the team secured a 59-24 win. In that matchup, St. Mary's amassed a halftime lead of 35-15, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.