The Marcos de Niza Padres will square off against the Saguaro Sabercats at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. One thing working in Marcos de Niza's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last seven contests.
On Monday, Marcos de Niza didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Tempe, but they still walked away with a 88-84 win.
| 01/20/25 vs Tempe | 3 |
| 01/17/25 @ Combs | 5 |
| 01/13/25 @ Cactus Shadows | 2 |
| 01/10/25 vs Mesquite | 2 |
| 01/07/25 @ St. Mary's | 3 |
It was another big night for James Steward, who dropped a double-double on 33 points and 23 rebounds. He is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last 21 games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Jeidarion Richard, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 boards.
Marcos de Niza smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Saguaro can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Arcadia as Saguaro made off with a 76-56 victory. The Sabercats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 20 points or more this season.
Saguaro's win came from a few key players Marcos de Niza will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bentley Elrod, who went 6 for 12 en route to 17 points. Those 17 points gave him a new career-high. Pierce Harrington was another key player, putting up 13 points.
Saguaro's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-6. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 45.8 points. As for Marcos de Niza, their victory bumped their record up to 13-7.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Marcos de Niza and Saguaro are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Marcos de Niza hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 67.2 points per game. However, it's not like Saguaro struggles in that department as they've been averaging 70.7 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Marcos de Niza took a serious blow against Saguaro in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 75-37. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Saguaro's Justice Hinds, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 13 points in addition to seven assists and seven rebounds. Now that Marcos de Niza knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
