The Sunnyslope Vikings came tearing into Friday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.2 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Pinnacle by a score of 62-52. Given Sunnyslope's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while Pinnacle is ranked 34th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Sunnyslope to victory, but perhaps none more so than Darius Wabbington, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Wabbington has scored all season. John Mattingly was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Pinnacle lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Saleem Gakiza, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jameson Vick, who scored 13 points.
Sunnyslope has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. As for Pinnacle, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-8.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Sunnyslope's road trip will continue as they head out to face Liberty at 7:00 p.m. on January 16th. Liberty knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three games -- so hopefully Sunnyslope likes a good challenge. As for Pinnacle, they will head out on the road to challenge O'Connor at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. O'Connor will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak alive.
