The Mesa Jackrabbits posted their closest win since December 1, 2023 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Red Mountain and snuck past 53-50. Given Mesa's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while Red Mountain is ranked 133rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mesa's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from John Petersen, who scored 13 points. Another player making a difference was Jarren Galarza, who scored eight points along with three steals.
When it comes to explaining why Red Mountain lost, one person who can't be blamed is Bryce Bigler. Despite the final result, he scored 19 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bigler has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Bjorn Molenaar, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
Red Mountain struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only an offensive rebound. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Mesa is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. As for Red Mountain, they now have a losing record at 9-10.
Mesa will be playing at home against Mountain View at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mountain View and Mesa are at an even 5-5 over their past ten head-to-heads. As for Red Mountain, Red Mountain and Skyline will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 17th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Skyline is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
