Basketball Recap: Ne'vaeh Verette Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Ironwood Ridge

There's no place like home for Mica Mountain, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They managed a 45-40 victory over the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks on Thursday. Given the Thunderbolts' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while the Nighthawks are ranked 89th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mica Mountain's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ne'Vaeh Verette, who posted 14 points. Amaris Biancuzzo was another key player, putting up five points and eight rebounds.

Despite the loss, Ironwood Ridge still got an impressive performance from Molly Walter, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 22 boards. What's more, Walter also racked up four blocks, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Scarlett Barton, who put up six points and five rebounds.

Mica Mountain's victory bumped their record up to 16-6. As for Ironwood Ridge, their loss was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 9-12.

Mica Mountain will take on Salpointe Catholic at 7:00 p.m. on January 30th. Salpointe Catholic knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matches -- so hopefully Mica Mountain likes a good challenge. As for Ironwood Ridge, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 42-40 win against Walden Grove on the 29th.