The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils lost a heartbreaker when they last took the court, but unfortunately for them the loss they were handed on on Monday was a bit more commanding. They took a serious blow against Horizon Honors, falling 53-22. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Santa Cruz Valley in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now lost five in a row.
Santa Cruz Valley's loss came despite strong showings from Jianna Lopez and Joselin Valenzuela. Lopez scored nine points along with eight rebounds, while Valenzuela scored 11 points. That was a full 40.9% of Santa Cruz Valley's points, marking the sixth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Santa Cruz Valley struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Horizon Honors racked up ten assists.
Horizon Honors found their leader in underclassman Audriana Anglada, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Anglada has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Amelia McCrory, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds.
Santa Cruz Valley has not been sharp recently as the team's lost nine of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-13 record this season. As for Horizon Honors, they pushed their record up to 18-6 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Santa Cruz Valley will take on the Pumas at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Arizona (Sequoia Pathway Academy is ranked 300th, while the Dust Devils are ranked 288th). As for Horizon Honors, they have the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome the Knights at 5:30 p.m. on January 31st.
