Preview: ASU Prep Poly vs. Mission Heights Prep Phantoms
ASU Prep Poly has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Mission Heights Prep Phantoms at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in ASU Prep Poly's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four matches.
ASU Prep Poly scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 65-30 victory over Sequoia Charter. Given ASU Prep Poly's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 96th, while Sequoia Charter is ranked 215th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
ASU Prep Poly's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Aidan Collins, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds, and CJ Welcome, who scored 12 points along with four steals. Welcome has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times he's played. Ashton Turner was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Mission Heights Prep lost to Empower College Prep at home by a decisive 64-48 margin on Wednesday. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Mission Heights Prep has scored all season.
Despite the loss, Mission Heights Prep saw an underclassman step up: Jacob Vance scored 16 points along with five rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Vance has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Wesley Hewitt, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds.
ASU Prep Poly's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.7 points per game. As for Mission Heights Prep, their loss dropped their record down to 7-4.
Tuesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: ASU Prep Poly have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Mission Heights Prep, though, as they've been averaging only 34.1 rebounds per game. Given ASU Prep Poly's sizeable advantage in that area, Mission Heights Prep will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
