Basketball Recap: Desert Sunrise Comes Up Short

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 72-38, which was the final score in the Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks's tilt against the Cactus Shadows Falcons on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, the Golden Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 292nd, while the Falcons are ranked 53rd).

Cactus Shadows' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Dane Milinovich, who went 7 for 16 on his way to 15 points and six steals. What's more, Milinovich also racked up three assists, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. Trey Chemin was another key player, going 6 of 11 on his way to 14 points and five rebounds.

Desert Sunrise has been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-13 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.8 points per game. As for Cactus Shadows, they moved to 9-4 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak.

Desert Sunrise didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 70-24 defeat against Dysart on the 9th. As for Cactus Shadows, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 63-54 victory against Saguaro on the 10th.