The Superior Panthers were the 37-34 winner over the Patagonia Lobos when they last played one another back in December of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Superior took a 47-33 bruising from the Lobos on Friday. Superior's loss continues an unfortunate trend for the squad, making it seven in a row.
Superior lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Antonio Lopez, who scored 13 points along with five steals. Another player making a difference was Ryland Duarte, who scored nine points along with five steals.
Superior struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Patagonia pulled down 15 offensive rebounds.
Diego Carranza continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Patagonia, scoring 20 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Carranza is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed four or more in the last four games he's played. Leo Nunez was another key contributor, scoring three points along with nine rebounds and eight steals.
Superior has been struggling recently as they've lost 11 of their last 12 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-19 record this season. As for Patagonia, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-14.
Superior won't have much time to rest: their next game is against the Wildkats at 5:00 p.m. on January 27th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Arizona (Duncan is ranked 328th, while the Panthers are ranked 339th). As for Patagonia, they will be playing at home against the Sentinels at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Arizona School for the Deaf & Blind comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 25 points in their last five games, a trend the team is of course eager to reverse.
