After a string of 30 wins dating back to last season, the Imagine Prep Storm's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. Their tough 84-61 defeat to Sequoia Pathfinder Verrado Way might stick with them for a while. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Imagine Prep has suffered yet this season.
Despite the defeat, Imagine Prep had strong showings from Jaylen Cassidy, who scored 22 points along with five assists and two steals, and Hayden Kelton, who scored 18 points. Cassidy continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Richard Rodriguez, who scored nine points along with five rebounds.
Malachi Long was his usual excellent self, going 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 32 points and 4 assists for Sequoia Pathfinder Verrado Way. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Long has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaleel Johns, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds.
Imagine Prep's defeat ended a 16-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 9-1. As for Sequoia Pathfinder Verrado Way, their victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-1.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Imagine Prep will take on West Phoenix at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. West Phoenix will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings (they are ranked 189th, while Imagine Prep is ranked 17th). As for Sequoia Pathfinder Verrado Way, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Dream City Christian Open at 6:00 p.m.
