Palo Verde is 0-10 against Sahuaro since December of 2014 but things could change on Tuesday. The Palo Verde Titans will venture away from home to face off against the Sahuaro Cougars at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Tuesday, everything came up roses for Palo Verde against Apache Junction as the squad secured a 66-37 win.
Gaby Oliver was her usual excellent self, dropping a triple-double on 46 points, 16 boards, and ten steals. That makes it 12 consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Palo Verde's points. Lillyana Pinkerton was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.
Palo Verde smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sahuaro, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They came out on top against Saguaro by a score of 44-35 on Friday.
Palo Verde better keep an eye on Anissa Garcia. She was instrumental in Sahuaro's win, dropping a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Garcia a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Biale Sika, who posted seven points and three blocks.
Palo Verde is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 6-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Sahuaro, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's game: Palo Verde has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 42.7% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Sahuaro, though, as they've only made 24.1% of their three-pointers this season. Given Palo Verde's sizable advantage in that area, Sahuaro will need to find a way to close that gap.
Palo Verde was taken down by Sahuaro 61-16 when the teams last played back in December of 2021. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Palo Verde was down 33-10.
