The Maryvale Panthers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of North by a score of 69-66. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their last game last Tuesday (62), Maryvale still had to take the loss.
Maryvale lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Devin Murphy, who almost dropped a triple-double on nine points, 12 rebounds, and nine steals. Murphy is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last seven games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrian Stubbs, who scored 23 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Maryvale were working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
North got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Trystan Williams out in front who scored 13 points along with seven blocks and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Williams has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Vicente Castro, who dropped a triple-double on 12 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists.
Maryvale has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost eight of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-10 record this season. As for North, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-10.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Maryvale will take on Alhambra at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Alhambra is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for North, North and Carl Hayden Community will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 17th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Hopefully Carl Hayden Community focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up five back in December of 2023.
