The Pinnacle Pioneers and the Mesquite Wildcats squared off in some playoff action on Wednesday, but sadly the Pinnacle Pioneers had to settle for second. They fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 60-57. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Pinnacle has suffered since December 27, 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Pinnacle lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ryan Nelson. Despite the final result, he scored 23 points along with six rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jameson Vick, who scored eight points.
Mesquite's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Desean Middlebrook led the charge by scoring 16 points along with four blocks and two steals. Middlebrook hasn't dropped below 16 points for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Jaylen Wollangk, who scored 12 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds.
Pinnacle dropped their record down to 14-13 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Mesquite, their victory bumped their record up to 21-6.
Pinnacle will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Corona del Sol at 7:00 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Arizona (Corona del Sol is ranked 50th, while Pinnacle is ranked 30th). As for Mesquite, they will head out on the road to face off against Basha at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Mesquite's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 21 games.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
