In what's become a running theme this season, the Sunnyside Blue Devils gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Ironwood Ridge 70-41 on the road. Given Sunnyside's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while Ironwood Ridge is ranked 90th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Sunnyside's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nayeli Nidez-Acu?a, who scored 19 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Nidez-Acu?a hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Janae Pritchett was another key contributor, scoring 23 points along with two steals.
Ironwood Ridge's loss came despite strong showings from Jaidyn Saucedo and Molly Walter. Saucedo scored 21 points along with three steals, while Walter dropped a double-double on 13 points and 13 rebounds. Walter has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last nine times she's played.
Sunnyside's win bumped their record up to 18-3. As for Ironwood Ridge, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-9.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Sunnyside will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Rincon/University at 7:00 p.m. on January 16th. Hopefully Rincon/University focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 last Tuesday. As for Ironwood Ridge, they will head out on the road to square off against Cholla at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
