Basketball Recap: Sahuarita Takes a Loss

Sahuarita lost against Cholla back in November of 2023 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. The Sahuarita Mustangs took a blow against the Cholla Chargers, falling 88-50. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 215th, while the Chargers are ranked 60th).

Despite the loss, Sahuarita still got an impressive performance from Josh Levelle, who went 5 for 12 en route to 18 points. What's more, Levelle also racked up three boards, the most he's had since back in November of 2024. Thomas Naylor was another key player, putting up seven points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.

Cholla got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Michael Payne out in front who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 assists. Payne has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last five times he's played. Jacob Espinoza also deserves some recognition as he scored his first points of the season.

Sahuarita has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-12 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points per game. As for Cholla, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 11-3.

Sahuarita didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 79-43 defeat against Palo Verde on the 23rd. As for Cholla, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, an 86-32 victory against Amphitheater on the 23rd.