Salpointe Catholic has enjoyed a five-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the Canyon del Oro Dorados at 7:00 p.m. on January 26th. Canyon del Oro took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Salpointe Catholic, who comes in off a win.
On Thursday, Salpointe Catholic beat Nogales 61-52. Given Salpointe Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 46th, while Nogales is ranked 142nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Salpointe Catholic can attribute much of their success to Antonio Amador, who scored 17 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Amador has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Bobby Smith, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Canyon del Oro fought the good fight in their overtime match against Pueblo on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 58-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Warriors. Canyon del Oro found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and rack up seven fewer assists than your opponent.
Canyon del Oro's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Mykael Nunez, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and two steals, and Will Dixion who scored 13 points along with two blocks. Isaiah Gill was another key contributor, scoring four points along with two steals.
Salpointe Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. As for Canyon del Oro, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 16-7 record this season.
Salpointe Catholic beat Canyon del Oro 51-39 in their previous meeting on January 10th. The rematch might be a little tougher for Salpointe Catholic since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
