Basketball Recap: Cienega Skates Past Empire with Ease

Cienega won the last time they faced Empire and things went their way on Friday too. The Cienega Bobcats claimed a resounding 49-15 win over the Empire Ravens. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 133rd, while the Ravens are ranked 278th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cienega's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Sam Ortiz, who went 5 for 9 on her way to 11 points and three steals. The dominant performance also gave Ortiz a new career-high in rebounds (three). Caliegh Duffy also deserves some recognition as she grabbed her first steals of the season.

Cienega smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Empire only pulled down ten offensive boards.

The victory got Cienega back to even at 10-10. As for Empire, they dropped their record down to 3-16 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight at home.

Cienega has already played their next game, a 63-20 loss against Pueblo on the 27th. As for Empire, they will venture away from home to face off against Desert View at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Empire is facing Desert View at the right time seeing as Desert View is stuck on a 15-game losing streak.