Basketball Recap: Asa Rupp's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Walden Grove over Marcos De Niza

Walden Grove saw some tournament action on Friday. They fell 75-64 to the Marcos de Niza Padres. The Red Wolves have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Walden Grove lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Asa Rupp, who posted 18 points. The dominant performance gave Rupp a new career-high in points. Mitchel Collins was another key player, putting up 15 points.

Marcos de Niza was led to victory by Drew Dana and James Steward. Dana went 13 of 23 on his way to 36 points, while Steward dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards. Steward is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down 11 or more in the last 13 games he's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Mcgee, who had seven points and five assists.

Walden Grove's defeat dropped their record down to 6-4. As for Marcos de Niza, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-2.

Walden Grove won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Desert Sunrise at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Walden Grove is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 73.1 points per game this season. As for Marcos de Niza, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 66-52 loss against Maricopa on the 27th.