Mountain Ridge won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Saturday. 2025 welcomed they with a 77-55 loss courtesy of the John Paul II Cardinals. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Mountain Lions came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 102nd in Arizona, while the Cardinals are ranked 417th in Texas).
Mountain Ridge's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dylan Donovan, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 19 points. The dominant performance gave Donovan a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaiden Thompson, who posted 15 points and six rebounds.
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| 01/04/25 - Neutral | 55-77 L |
Even though they lost, Mountain Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season.
With the loss, Mountain Ridge broke their five-game winning streak and moved their record to 8-7. As for John Paul II, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 14-12.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Mountain Ridge will square off against Deer Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mountain Ridge knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 contests -- so hopefully Deer Valley likes a good challenge. As for John Paul II, they will take on DasCHE at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in John Paul II's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four matchups.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
