The Thunderbird Titans entered their tilt with the Shadow Mountain Matadors with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Thunderbird walked away with a 54-47 win over Shadow Mountain on Tuesday. Given Thunderbird's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 59th, while Shadow Mountain is ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ryan Calcaterra was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Kellen Braddix, who scored 13 points along with three steals.
Shadow Mountain's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Pierce Rogers, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds. Rogers hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Cory Lamb-Jones, who scored 14 points.
Thunderbird has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. As for Shadow Mountain, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-16.
Coincidentally, the pair will both be playing Paradise Honors the next time they take the court. Thunderbird will host Paradise Honors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, while Shadow Mountain will head out to face them at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
