The Sahuaro Cougars entered their tilt with the Doherty Spartans with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. Sahuaro came out on top against Doherty by a score of 60-53 on Friday.
Sahuaro found their leader in underclassman Cisco Llamas, who scored 25 points along with six assists and three steals. The contest was Llamas' 11th in a row with at least ten points. Nick Ponds was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with seven steals and five rebounds.
Doherty's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Elijah Mack, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds and five steals, and Maddox Dee-Mortensen who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Dee-Mortensen also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Koryeon Lacy, who scored eight points.
Sahuaro's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.6 points per game. As for Doherty, they now have a losing record at 2-3.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Sahuaro will square off against Desert View at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Doherty won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Hamilton at 9:00 a.m. on December 16th. Hamilton presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Doherty in their respective states (Hamilton is ranked eighth in Arizona, while Doherty is ranked 73rd in Colorado).
