Sunrise Mountain lost against Willow Canyon back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. The game between the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs and the Willow Canyon Wildcats didn't end well, with the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs falling 70-54. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 120th, while the Wildcats are ranked 25th).
Marcus Murray and Trey Hill certainly did their best on Tuesday to avoid the loss. Murray posted 20 points in addition to eight assists and three steals, while Hill earned 13 points and five boards. Those 20 points gave Murray a new career-high. Caden Hammond was another key player, going 5 of 9 en route to 10 points and eight rebounds.
Willow Canyon found their leader in freshman Maurice Carter II, who went 8 for 16 on his way to 21 points and five steals. The matchup was Carter II's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaleel Kelly, who went 6 of 10 en route to 18 points and five boards.
Sunrise Mountain's defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 7-11. As for Willow Canyon, they pushed their record up to 18-2 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road.
Coincidentally, the two teams will both be playing Ironwood the next time they take the court. Sunrise Mountain will host Ironwood at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, while Willow Canyon will host them at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
