The Buena Colts posted their closest win yet this season on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 72-70 victory over Ironwood Ridge. Given Buena's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while Ironwood Ridge is ranked 207th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Buena's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jamin Booker, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Booker is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Mason Gordon, who scored 13 points along with five assists and two steals.
Despite the loss, Ironwood Ridge still got an impressive performance from Carter Brown, who scored 26 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Brown has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. Dalton Yarmolovich was another key contributor, scoring 19 points.
Even though they lost, Ironwood Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Buena only pulled down five offensive rebounds.
Buena has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. As for Ironwood Ridge, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-13.
Buena will be playing in front of their home fans against Brophy College Prep at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Ironwood Ridge won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Sunnyside at 7:00 p.m. on January 12th. Allowing an average of 63.3 points per game, Sunnyside has struggled on the defensive end, but that doesn't have to be the case in this match.
