The Sahuaro Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Pueblo Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Sahuaro suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Tuesday. They were outmatched by Salpointe Catholic on the road and fell 68-37. Sahuaro has struggled against Salpointe Catholic recently, as their match on Tuesday was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.
Sahuaro's loss came about despite a quality game from Kristen Valdez, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds.
Sahuaro struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Salpointe Catholic racked up 12 assists.
Meanwhile, Pueblo's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. Their rough 65-43 defeat to Flowing Wells might stick with them for a while. That's two games in a row now that Pueblo has lost by exactly 22 points.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from America Cazares, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. That was a full 41.9% of Pueblo's points, marking the sixth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Sara Galindo, who scored 13 points along with three steals.
Sahuaro has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 16-7 record this season. As for Pueblo, their loss was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 12-9.
Thursday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Sahuaro have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 24.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Pueblo, though, as they've been averaging only 32.9 rebounds per game. Given Sahuaro's sizeable advantage in that area, Pueblo will need to find a way to close that gap.
Sahuaro beat Pueblo 65-52 when the teams last played on Wednesday. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Cazares, who scored 27 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Sahuaro still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
