Basketball Recap: Morenci Takes a Loss

After soaring to 80 points the game before, Morenci was a bit more limited in their matchup on Thursday. They took a blow against the Pima Roughriders, falling 54-20. The Wildcats lost against the Roughriders in their previous head to head back in February of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was even wider than the 47-42 score last time.

Several Wildcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Tiara Jones, who posted two points in addition to seven rebounds and five blocks. The dominant performance gave Jones a new career-high in blocks.

Even though they lost, Morenci smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive contests.

Leading Pima to victory were Sadie Richardson and Kelsi Brimhall. Richardson went 7 of 10 on her way to 14 points along with seven boards and six steals, while Brimhall went 6 for 15 en route to 14 points and six steals. Richardson has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 25 times she's played. Adysen Hoopes was another key player, putting up eight points and six rebounds.

Morenci's defeat dropped their record down to 7-11. As for Pima, they pushed their record up to 12-3 with the win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season.

Morenci has already played their next game, a 46-43 victory against Willcox on the 10th. As for Pima, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 46-16 win against Chandler Prep on the 10th.