Palo Verde and Pusch Ridge Christian Academy are an even 3-3 against one another since January of 2022, but not for long. The Palo Verde Titans will face off against the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Palo Verde sitting on three straight wins and Pusch Ridge Christian Academy on ten.
Palo Verde is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They snuck past Benjamin Franklin with a 52-48 victory.
Daniel Ortiz
| 02/28/25 @ Benjamin Franklin | 16 |
| 02/22/25 @ ALA - Ironwood | 6 |
| 02/18/25 vs Alchesay | 10 |
| 02/14/25 @ San Tan Charter | 5 |
| 02/12/25 @ Phoenix Country Day | 2 |
| + 24 more games |
Palo Verde's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Daniel Ortiz, who dropped a double-double with 15 points and 16 boards. With that strong performance, Ortiz is now averaging an impressive 8.1 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Kameron Pippen, who went 6-for-10 on his way to 16 points.
Florence typically has all the answers at home, but on Friday Pusch Ridge Christian Academy proved too difficult a challenge. They skirted past the Gophers 55-53. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lions have posted since January 23, 2024.
Palo Verde better focus on containing Noah McKinney and Isaac Hardeman as the pair were huge in Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's win. McKinney shot 53% from the field en route to 21 points and five boards, while Hardeman went 6-for-9 to rack up 14 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds. What's more, Hardeman also posted a 67% field goal percentage, which is the highest he's achieved since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ben Lambe, who posted six points along with eight boards and three blocks.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They are 9-1 when they hit their own glass that hard.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-11. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points over those games. As for Palo Verde, their win bumped their record up to 24-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Palo Verde has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pusch Ridge Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Palo Verde came out on top in a nail-biter against Pusch Ridge Christian Academy when the teams last played back in January, sneaking past 51-48. Will Palo Verde repeat their success, or does Pusch Ridge Christian Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
