Basketball Recap: Nogales Takes a Loss

Nogales lost against Cienega two weeks ago and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Monday. The Nogales Apaches lost 79-54 to the Cienega Bobcats. While losing is never fun, the Apaches can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 178th, while the Bobcats are ranked 47th).

When it comes to explaining why Nogales lost, don't look at Antonio Rodriguez. Despite the final result, he almost dropped a double-double with 16 points and nine assists. Those nine assists gave Rodriguez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Sean Legleu, who posted ten points.

Even though they lost, Nogales smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

Thomas Noyes was his usual excellent self, going 8-for-10 to rack up 22 points for Cienega. Noyes is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 56% in the last 12 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jackson Moore, who had nine points along with eight assists and seven boards.

Nogales has traveled a rocky road recently having lost 11 of their last 14 matches, which has put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season. As for Cienega, the victory (which was their eighth in a row) raised their record to 16-5.

Nogales wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 76-57 win against Desert View on the 4th. As for Cienega, they have also already played their next contest, a 71-41 victory against Flowing Wells on the 4th.