The Coolidge Bears have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 25 points or more this season. Couldn't have asked for a better start to 2024 than the 78-45 blowout they got at home against San Tan Foothills. Given Coolidge's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 79th, while San Tan Foothills is ranked 232nd), the result on Wednesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Coolidge to victory were Tory Gholston and Ja'kwan Jordan. Gholston scored 24 points along with six assists, while Jordan dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Gholston has scored at least 25% of Coolidge's points. Another player making a difference was Thomas Nelson Jr., who scored nine points along with five rebounds.
San Tan Foothills' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Stephen Gray, who scored 12 points. The match was Gray's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaylen Fulton, who scored 11 points.
Coolidge's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-3. As for San Tan Foothills, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-6 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Coolidge will square off against Florence at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Florence focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up seven last Saturday. San Tan Foothills won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Miami at 7:00 p.m. on January 4th.
