Two dominant guards in Luke Mills and Jacoby Chee are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the Needles Mustangs will jump right back in to play the Winslow Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Needles' favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.
Needles easily dispatched Safford on Friday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Mustangs fell just short of River Valley by a score of 68-66 on Friday. The loss was the Mustangs' first of the season.
Darrell Russell
| 12/12/25 vs River Valley | 13 |
| 12/12/25 vs Safford | 11 |
| 12/11/25 vs Snowflake | 9 |
| 12/09/25 @ Mohave Accelerated | 12 |
| 02/21/25 vs West Wendover | 10 |
Despite their loss, Needles saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Darrell Russell, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Russell is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down nine or more in each of the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Connor Goulet was another key player, going 5-for-7 en route to 12 points in addition to five assists and three steals.
Meanwhile, Winslow suffered their biggest defeat since January 24th on Thursday. They lost 73-49 to ALA - Queen Creek.
Like Needles, Winslow lost despite seeing results from several players. Jeremiah Acothley led the charge by putting up 11 points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Jayden Curtis, who shot 45% from the field on his way to 11 points and seven rebounds.
Winslow's loss dropped their record down to 6-2. As for Needles, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Needles has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Winslow struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
