Even though the Carl Hayden Community Falcons scored an imposing 64 points on Thursday, the Mesquite Wildcats still came out on top. Mesquite strolled past Carl Hayden Community with points to spare, taking the game 83-64. Given Mesquite's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 17th, while Carl Hayden Community is ranked 94th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Desean Middlebrook continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 33 points along with eight rebounds. Those 33 points set a new season-high mark for him. Jaylen Wollangk was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with nine assists.
Carl Hayden Community's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Prince Cash, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds. The match was Cash's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Santino Esquivel, who scored 12 points.
Mesquite has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season. As for Carl Hayden Community, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-7 record this season.
Mesquite won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Thunderbird at 4:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Thunderbird is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road. Carl Hayden Community will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on North at 7:00 p.m. on January 17th.
