After a string of three wins, the Peoria Panthers's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell 61-48 to Cactus. While losing is never fun, Peoria can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 199th, while Cactus is ranked 40th).
Peoria's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Nehemiah Ward, who scored 13 points along with two steals, and Amir Brown who scored 11 points.
It was another big night for Bradey Henige, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 20 rebounds for Cactus. Henige is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Tyler Hutton was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Peoria's defeat dropped their record down to 6-16. As for Cactus, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Peoria on the road again on Thursday and play against Goldwater at 7:00 p.m. on January 25th. Goldwater is out to stop a six-game streak of losses at home. As for Cactus, they will head out on the road to challenge Estrella Foothills at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
