Paradise Honors is 3-0 against Thunderbird since January of 2023, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Paradise Honors Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Thunderbird Titans at 7:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Paradise Honors can now show off seven landslide victories after their most recent game on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 63-32 win over Yuma at home. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Paradise Honors has posted against Yuma since February 27, 2021.
Paradise Honors' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Christian Dubrey, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds, and Tj Harris, who scored 18 points along with five assists and three steals. Harris hasn't dropped below 15points for 19 straight games. Another player making a difference was Antwan Gilkey, who scored eight points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Thunderbird entered their tilt with Shadow Mountain with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Thunderbird came out on top against Shadow Mountain by a score of 54-47 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.
It was another big night for Ryan Calcaterra, who dropped 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. Kellen Braddix was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with three steals.
Paradise Honors is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-9 record this season. As for Thunderbird, their win bumped their record up to 16-5.
Thursday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Paradise Honors have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.3% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Thunderbird struggles in that department as they've made 43.6% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Paradise Honors didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Thunderbird in their previous meeting two weeks ago, but they still walked away with a 45-39 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Paradise Honors since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
