The Pusch Ridge Christian Academy Lions waltzed into their matchup on Friday with three straight wins but they left with four. They snuck past Sabino with a 49-44 win. Given Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 89th, while the Sabercats are ranked 208th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Pusch Ridge Christian Academy to victory were Mason Hoke and Ben Lambe. Hoke scored 13 points along with five rebounds and two blocks, while Lambe scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Lambe has scored all season. Issac Hardeman was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with nine rebounds.
Several Sabercats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Chris Herndon, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Herndon is crushing the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Roman Duarte, who scored nine points.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 14-8 record this season. As for Sabino, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-14.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy will challenge the Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Tanque Verde has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 405 points over their last six games. Sabino's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Vipers at 7:00 p.m. on January 30th.
