The Nogales Apaches pushed their score all the way to 61 on Wednesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They received a tough blow as they fell 76-61 to Cienega. Nogales has struggled against the Bobcats recently, as their game on Wednesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
When it comes to explaining why Nogales lost, one person who can't be blamed is Diego Ortega. Despite the final result, he scored 27 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Ortega hasn't dropped below 15 points for five straight games.
Leading Cienega to victory were Jaden Rodgers and Isaac Sdobnev. Rodgers scored 14 points along with seven steals and two blocks, while Sdobnev scored 25 points. Rodgers has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Evan Golembieski, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Nogales has not been sharp recently as the team's lost eight of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-12 record this season. As for Cienega, the victory (which was their seventh in a row) raised their record to 18-7.
Nogales does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Cienega will head out on the road to challenge the Colts at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Arizona (Buena is ranked 75th, while the Bobcats are ranked 52nd).
