Sunnyside hasn't had much luck against Gilbert recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Sunnyside Blue Devils will face off against the Gilbert Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Sunnyside will be coming into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
Sunnyside is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They really took it to Mountain Ridge for the full four quarters, racking up a 77-21 victory. The Blue Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 23 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Janae Pritchett, who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine steals. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in assists (four). Another player making a difference was Dora Medina, who earned eight points plus nine steals and five assists.
Sunnyside smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Gilbert faced Pinnacle in a battle between two of the state's top teams last Friday. Gilbert took a 52-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pinnacle. The match marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Contessa Ivy, who went 6 for 12 en route to 15 points plus three steals. Ivy is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tylaiah Wily, who had 11 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists.
The defeat snapped Gilbert's winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 4-2 record. As for Sunnyside, their win bumped their record up to 8-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sunnyside has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Gilbert struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.8. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Sunnyside came up short against Gilbert in their previous matchup back in February of 2022, falling 40-34. Can Sunnyside avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps