The Coolidge Bears pushed their score all the way to 56 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 77-56 walloping at the hands of Ogallala. While losing is never fun, Coolidge can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 79th in Arizona, while Ogallala is ranked third in Nebraska).
Despite the defeat, Coolidge had strong showings from Tory Gholston, who scored 29 points, and Ja'kwan Jordan, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 13 rebounds. The match was Gholston's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Adarius Miguel, who scored eight points.
Coolidge's loss dropped their record down to 11-3. As for Ogallala, the victory for they keeps them at an undefeated 9-0.
Coolidge and Marcos de Niza will face off at 5:00 p.m. on December 23rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Marcos de Niza is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 52.9 points per game. Ogallala won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Casa Grande at 6:30 p.m. on December 23rd. Casa Grande is hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
