Desert View hasn't had much luck against Cienega recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Desert View Jaguars face off against the Cienega Bobcats at 7:00 p.m.
Desert View is headed into Thursday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Tuesday. They had to suffer through a 74-47 loss at the hands of Pueblo.
Meanwhile, Cienega waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They claimed a resounding 85-56 victory over the Apaches. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th, while the Apaches are ranked 196th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Desert View better focus on containing Jackson Moore and Gabe Buksh as the pair were huge in Cienega's win. Moore went 9 of 12 on his way to 22 points and five assists, while Buksh posted 11 points in addition to five assists and four steals. That's the most points Moore has posted since back in November of 2024. Kristian DelRio was another key player, putting up 15 points.
Cienega smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.5 offensive boards per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 8.3.
Cienega pushed their record up to 12-5 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 81.7 points per game. As for Desert View, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-15.
Desert View was taken down by Cienega 76-36 in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Desert View was down 49-12.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
