The Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks struggled with assists on Friday (the Centennial Hawks had seven more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Ironwood Ridge's tough 59-37 loss to Centennial might stick with them for a while. Ironwood Ridge has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
When it comes to explaining why Ironwood Ridge lost, one person who can't be blamed is Molly Walter. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds. Walter hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Scarlett Barton, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds.
Centennial got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Elena Gonzales out in front who scored 22 points along with three steals. Those 22 points set a new season-high mark for her. Joy Hunt was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five rebounds.
Ironwood Ridge's defeat dropped their record down to 8-7. As for Centennial, their victory bumped their record up to 4-6.
Ironwood Ridge won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Ferris at 11:00 a.m. on December 30, 2023. Ferris will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in their respective state's rankings (they are ranked 677th in Texas, while Ironwood Ridge is ranked 68th in Arizona). Centennial won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Piedra Vista at 11:00 a.m. on December 30, 2023.
