Two dominant guards in Taliyah Henderson and Jackie Rosado are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Salpointe Catholic Lancers will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Casteel Colts at 7:00 p.m. Salpointe Catholic has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 859 points over their last 12 matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Salpointe Catholic gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They really took it to Paradise Honors for the full four quarters, racking up a 58-21 win at home. Given Salpointe Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth, while Paradise Honors is ranked 63rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Salpointe Catholic to victory, but perhaps none more so than Henderson, who almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds. Henderson has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more points the last six times she's played. Sidney Anderson was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with four steals.
Salpointe Catholic's lineup was just a bit different on Tuesday as Josi Muro got a bit more time on the court (15 vs. her season average of 6.07). Muro made the most of the opportunity, scoring four points. A few more games like that and she might be seeing even more time going forward.
Meanwhile, Casteel unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Monday. They fell to Campo Verde 48-42. Casteel found out winning isn't easy when you're outrebounded 14 to 4 on offense.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Rosado, who scored 17 points along with five rebounds. She has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Ava Lewis, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Casteel struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Salpointe Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 22-3 record this season. As for Casteel, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 18-9.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Salpointe Catholic have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Casteel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
