The Desert Ridge Jaguars will head out on the road to face off against the Gila Ridge Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Desert Ridge focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Monday.
Even though Corona del Sol scored an imposing 69 points, Desert Ridge still came out on top. Desert Ridge sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 71-69 victory over Corona del Sol. The win was all the more spectacular given Desert Ridge's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 130th, while Corona del Sol is ranked 50th).
Payton Lapping was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds. He is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. Angelo Jones was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Gila Ridge ended up a good deal behind Cibola on Wednesday and lost 58-43. Gila Ridge has struggled against Cibola recently, as their match on Wednesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Desert Ridge's victory bumped their record up to 9-16. As for Gila Ridge, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-17.
Everything came up roses for Desert Ridge against Gila Ridge in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 77-46 victory. With Desert Ridge ahead 48-24 at the half, the game was all but over already.
