The Marcos de Niza Padres's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight loss. They fell 61-52 to Mesquite. Marcos de Niza has struggled against Mesquite recently, as their contest on Friday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Several Padres players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Dj Drew, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was James Steward, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and four blocks.
Mesquite found their leader in underclassman Desean Middlebrook, who scored 26 points along with three steals. Middlebrook is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last nine games he's played. Jaylen Wollangk was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five assists and four steals.
Marcos de Niza has not been sharp recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-13 record this season. As for Mesquite, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 17-4.
Marcos de Niza will head out on the road to square off against Arcadia at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Arcadia is out to stop a three-game streak of losses at home. As for Mesquite, Mesquite and St. Mary's will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. St. Mary's knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight contests -- so hopefully Mesquite likes a good challenge.
