After flying high against the Tanque Verde Hawks last Friday, the Safford Bulldogs came back down to earth. Safford received a tough blow on Monday as they fell 54-40 to Pima. Safford has struggled against Pima recently, as their game on Monday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Safford saw an underclassman step up: Hannah Schade scored 12 points along with six steals and five rebounds. Schade hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Camilla Smith, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds.
Pima's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sadie Richardson led the charge by dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Another player making a difference was Ady Hoopes, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.
Safford's defeat dropped their record down to 4-11. As for Pima, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 13-2.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Safford will take on Empire at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Empire comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 25 points in their last seven games, a trend the team is of course eager to reverse. As for Pima, they will head out on the road to face off against Blue Ridge at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Arizona (Blue Ridge is ranked 22nd, while Pima is ranked 28th).
