The Cactus Cobras will head out on the road to challenge the Dysart Demons at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Cactus focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 18 on Thursday.
After a string of seven wins, Cactus' good fortune finally ran out. They took a 66-51 bruising from Thunderbird.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Bradey Henige, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 17 rebounds. Henige is crushing the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Tyler Hutton was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Dysart put the finishing touches on their 14th blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They breezed by Vista Grande at home to the tune of 95-34. Given Dysart's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 42nd, while the Spartans are ranked 274th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Dysart's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nate Morales, who scored 22 points along with six assists and two steals. Morales is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last seven games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Nigel Anderson, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.
Cactus' defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 20-4. As for Dysart, they pushed their record up to 22-3 with that victory, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Cactus have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 50.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Dysart struggles in that department as they've made 48.1% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Cactus won a game that couldn't have been any closer when the teams last played back in December of 2022, slipping by the Demons 72-71. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cactus since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
