The Orme Warriors will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against the Verde Valley Coyotes at 6:30 p.m. on January 16th. Hopefully Orme focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 23 on Saturday.
On Saturday, Orme was beaten by Wickenburg Christian Academy 48-6. Orme has struggled against Wickenburg Christian Academy recently, as their contest on Saturday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
John Collins was Orme's leading scorer, having posted three points.
Meanwhile, Verde Valley humbled American Heritage Academy with a 48-17 victory. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Verde Valley has managed all season.
Angelo Ayuel was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 14 points and 17 rebounds. He also posted two+ blocks for the first time this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Teo Dickey, who scored six points along with two steals.
Orme has not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-4 record this season. As for Verde Valley, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Tuesday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Orme have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Verde Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 6.2 rebounds per game. Given Orme's sizeable advantage in that area, Verde Valley will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything went Orme's way against Verde Valley in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as Orme made off with a 59-35 victory. Will Orme repeat their success, or does Verde Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
