The Sunnyslope Vikings had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.7 points), and they went ahead and made it seven on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Liberty with a sharp 58-37 victory. Given Sunnyslope's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while Liberty is ranked 43rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Rider Portela, who scored 22 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Jai Anthoni Bearden was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with six rebounds.
When it comes to explaining why Liberty lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jackson Hunter. Despite the final result, he scored 13 points.
Sunnyslope pushed their record up to 13-4 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Liberty, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-9.
Sunnyslope will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against O'Connor at 7:00 p.m. on January 18th. As for Liberty, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Sunrise Mountain at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully Sunrise Mountain focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 21 on Tuesday.
