The Willow Canyon Wildcats will face off against the Ironwood Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Willow Canyon comes in on eight and Ironwood on four.
Last Friday, Willow Canyon earned a 55-44 win over Sunrise Mountain. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Mustangs are ranked 118th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Maurice Carter II
| 02/07/25 vs Sunrise Mountain | 4 |
| 02/04/25 @ Kellis | 5 |
| 01/29/25 vs Centennial | 3 |
| 01/27/25 vs Ironwood | 3 |
| 01/21/25 @ Sunrise Mountain | 5 |
| + 2 more games |
Jaydon Hayes and Maurice Carter II were among the main playmakers for Willow Canyon as the former went 7 for 11 on his way to 20 points and five steals and the latter went 7 of 11 to rack up 20 points in addition to seven rebounds and four steals. Carter II is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games he's played. Another player making a difference was Kaleel Kelly, who posted six points and three steals.
Willow Canyon was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sunrise Mountain only racked up nine assists.
Meanwhile, Ironwood humbled Sunrise Mountain with an 84-52 victory. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 contests by 20 points or more this season.
Ironwood's victory was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.4 points over those games. As for Willow Canyon, their record is now 22-2.
Willow Canyon came out on top in a nail-biter against Ironwood in their previous meeting back in January, sneaking past 74-71. The rematch might be a little tougher for Willow Canyon since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
