The Cholla Chargers entered their tilt with the Nogales Apaches with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Cholla came out on top against Nogales by a score of 51-44 on Thursday. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Cholla also won the last time the pair played back in January of 2023.
Cholla's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Michael Payne, who scored 15 points along with five assists. Payne is absolutely dominating the point category: he's posted at least 15 every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jerry Mendoza, who scored nine points along with four steals.
When it comes to explaining why Nogales lost, one person who can't be blamed is Rafael Vasavilbaso. Despite the final result, he scored 12 points. Another player making a difference was Aaron Franco, who scored six points.
Cholla has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. As for Nogales, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 8-8.
Cholla will head out on the road to square off against Mountain View at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Mountain View will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak. As for Nogales, they will be playing at home against Cienega at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Cienega is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 68.2 points per game.
