After a string of seven wins, the Sabino Sabercats's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 55-42 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Sabino of the 65-39 defeat they experienced in the two teams' previous head-to-head fixture back in January of 2023.
Several Sabercats players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jayda Haley, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds. Haley is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last ten games she's played. Haley Hunter was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Noelle Sunukjian led the charge by scoring 12 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Sunukjian has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Sedona Dietrich, who scored eight points along with 12 rebounds.
Sabino's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-12. As for Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Sabino will stay at home for another game and welcome San Miguel at 5:30 p.m. on January 30th. San Miguel comes in still looking for their first win of the season. As for Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Tanque Verde at 7:00 p.m. Tanque Verde 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 233rd, while Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is ranked 85th).
