Even though the Florence Gophers scored an imposing 65 points on Tuesday, the Coolidge Bears still came out on top. Coolidge slipped by Florence 66-65. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Coolidge.
Coolidge found their leader in underclassman Tory Gholston, who scored 30 points along with two steals. Gholston is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ja'kwan Jordan, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Florence's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Logan Stenson, who dropped a triple-double on 12 points, ten assists, and ten steals. That's the first time this season that Stenson posted eight or more assists. Another player making a difference was Adrian Taufaasau, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds.
Coolidge's victory was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-5. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.5 points per game. As for Florence, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-9.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Coolidge will face off against San Tan Foothills at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. San Tan Foothills will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings (they are ranked 217th, while Coolidge is ranked 100th). As for Florence, they will head out on the road to challenge Globe at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Globe is coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak.
