The Mesquite Wildcats entered their tilt with the Marcos de Niza Padres with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Mesquite blew past the Padres 76-47 at home on Wednesday. Given Mesquite's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 19th, while the Padres are ranked 192nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mesquite was led to victory by Jamar Trotter and Desean Middlebrook. Trotter scored 13 points along with six rebounds and five steals, while Middlebrook scored 20 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Christian Garven was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
When it comes to explaining why Marcos de Niza lost, one person who can't be blamed is James Steward. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 20 points and 13 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Elorik Washington, who scored nine points.
Mesquite is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 20-5 record this season. As for Marcos de Niza, they are on a ten-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-18.
Mesquite will head out on the road to challenge the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North is on a nine-game streak of home wins, the Wildcats a four-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court. Marcos de Niza does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
