The St. Johns Redskins came tearing into Monday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They snuck past Valley with a 60-56 victory. Given St. Johns' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Pirates are ranked 100th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Johns got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Elli Otto out in front who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Valley had strong showings from Kaelynn Nez, who scored 17 points along with four steals, and Trinity Mitchell, who scored 16 points. Nez hasn't dropped below four steals for six straight games.
St. Johns is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 24-5 record this season. As for Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 13-9.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. St. Johns will take on the Lobos at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Many Farms has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Valley, they will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bruins at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopi is no doubt hoping to put an end to an eight-game streak of away losses.
