The Salpointe Catholic Lancers will head out on the road to face off against the Mesa Jackrabbits at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Salpointe Catholic ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They escaped with a win against Tucson High Magnet School by the margin of a single free throw, 50-49. The win was all the more spectacular given Salpointe Catholic's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 52nd, while Tucson High Magnet School is ranked third).
Salpointe Catholic relied on the efforts of Joey Castillo, who scored 9 points along with 6 rebounds, and Ben Aronson, who scored 11 points. Another player making a difference was Bobby Smith, who scored 8 points.
Meanwhile, Mesa put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against Desert Ridge by a score of 62-55. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Among those leading the charge was Conway Cummard, who scored 16 points along with 8 assists and 7 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Seumanu, who scored 12 points along with 8 rebounds.
Salpointe Catholic pushed their record up to 6-2 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.0 points per game. As for Mesa, their victory bumped their record up to 7-0.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Salpointe Catholic hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 60.6 points per game. It's a different story for Mesa, though, as they've been averaging only 64.1 per game. The only thing between Salpointe Catholic and another offensive beatdown is Mesa. Will they be able to keep them contained? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Salpointe Catholic came up short against Mesa when the teams last played back in December of 2022, falling 55-47. Thankfully for Salpointe Catholic, Kota Benson (who scored 22 points along with 6 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
