The Mesa Jackrabbits will square off against the Tolleson Wolverines at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Mesa's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.
Last Thursday, Mesa was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 70-64 to Mountain View. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Tuesday (63), the Jackrabbits still had to take the loss.
Jakyi Miles
| 02/13/25 @ Mountain View | 21 |
| 02/11/25 vs Red Mountain | 26 |
| 02/07/25 @ Skyline | 25 |
| 02/04/25 vs Dobson | 20 |
Despite their defeat, Mesa saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jakyi Miles, who posted 21 points and five boards, was perhaps the best of all. Miles' evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 20 points. Jarren Galarza was another key player, going 5-for-10 en route to 14 points and four steals.
Meanwhile, Tolleson was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap last Wednesday as they fell 42-37 to West Point. The Wolverines have struggled against the Dragons recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Mesa will have to contain Rico Blassingame as he made an impact in Tolleson's last game. He dropped a double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds. That was a full 48.6% of Tolleson's points, marking the third time in a row Blassingame has put up more than a third of the team's points.
Mesa's loss dropped their record down to 18-7. As for Tolleson, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Mesa has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Tolleson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Mesa against Tolleson when the teams last played back in November of 2022, as the squad secured a 59-29 win. Will Mesa repeat their success, or does Tolleson have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
