The River Valley Dust Devils pushed their score all the way to 68 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Tonopah Valley on the road by a decisive 86-68 margin. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their last game last Thursday (63), River Valley still had to take the loss.
Several Dust Devils players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Nysaiah Vargas, who scored 17 points along with six assists and two steals. Vargas has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Nash Hanrahan, who scored 20 points.
Even though they lost, River Valley were working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Tonopah Valley got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Xavier Valentine out in front who scored 18 points. Lars Durham was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
River Valley's defeat was their fifth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 3-9. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.2 points per game. As for Tonopah Valley, their win bumped their record up to 2-10.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. River Valley will take on Yuma Catholic at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Yuma Catholic will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak. As for Tonopah Valley, they will be playing at home against American Leadership Academy - West Foothills at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. American Leadership Academy - West Foothills is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
