The Empire Ravens's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They took a 84-73 hit to the loss column at the hands of Palo Verde. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Several Ravens players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Deshawn Washington, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 15 rebounds. Washington hasn't dropped below 15points for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Tre Perkins, who scored 22 points.
Leading Palo Verde to victory were Kameron Pippen and Daniel Ortiz. Pippen scored 24 points, while Ortiz dropped a double-double on 23 points and 15 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Pippen has scored all season. Julian Blackburne was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Empire's defeat dropped their record down to 13-8. As for Palo Verde, their victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-3.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Empire will face off against Safford at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Palo Verde, they will head out on the road to challenge Sabino at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Sabino has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 575 points over their last eight games.
