Union Mine is 9-1 against Bradshaw Christian since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Union Mine Diamondbacks on the road again and play against the Bradshaw Christian The Pride at 7:00 p.m. on January 16th. Union Mine has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 1,564 points over their last 21 matchups.
Union Mine can now show off 11 landslide victories after their most recent game on Friday. Everything went their way against El Dorado as Union Mine made off with a 79-58 victory. Given Union Mine's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 184th, while El Dorado is ranked 712th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Union Mine found their leader in underclassman Isaac Zmerzlikar, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds. Zmerzlikar continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Gines, who scored 16 points along with nine assists and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Bradshaw Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Rosemont on Friday, taking the game 60-53. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Bradshaw Christian.
It was another big night for Josh O'neal, who dropped a double-double on 30 points and 11 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Carson Fitzpatrick was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Union Mine pushed their record up to 19-2 with that win, which was their ninth straight on the road. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 18.22 points. As for Bradshaw Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season.
Tuesday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Union Mine have been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 43.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Bradshaw Christian struggles in that department as they've drained 39.3% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Union Mine took their victory against Bradshaw Christian in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 61-40. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was O'neal, who scored 22 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Union Mine still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
