JW North and Canyon Springs are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. Both will face off at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. JW North is coming into the game on a five-game losing streak.
JW North saw some tournament action on Friday. They came up short against Elsinore, falling 48-24.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Maya Marmolejo, who posted 14 points and five rebounds. That was a full 58.3% of JW North's points, marking the third time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Marisol Blanco, who put up three points and four steals.
Canyon Springs has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 55-51 heartbreaker at the hands of Apple Valley.
JW North will have to keep a close watch on Izabella Tejada and Kaleayah Marshall, a pair of players who had a big impact on Canyon Springs' prior game. Tejada dropped a double-double on 27 points and 13 boards, while Marshall went 7 of 16 on her way to 18 points along with eight boards and four steals. The dominant performance gave Tejada a new career-high in points.
Even though they lost, Canyon Springs smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 32 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Canyon Springs' defeat dropped their record down to 10-2. As for JW North, their loss dropped their record down to 2-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: JW North has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Canyon Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging 41.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for JW North against Canyon Springs in their previous meeting back in January of 2020, as the squad secured a 66-8 win. Will JW North repeat their success, or does Canyon Springs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
