Marcos de Niza is 1-9 against Mesquite since January of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Marcos de Niza Padres will look to defend their home court against the Mesquite Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Marcos de Niza has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while Mesquite will arrive with three straight wins.
Marcos de Niza suffered their biggest defeat since December 15, 2023 on Tuesday. Their rough 70-46 loss to Seton Catholic might stick with them for a while. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Marcos de Niza has suffered against Seton Catholic since February 5, 2019.
Marcos de Niza's loss came about despite a quality game from James Steward, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 rebounds. That was a full 43.5% of Marcos de Niza's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Dj Drew was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Even though they lost, Marcos de Niza smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, even though Arcadia scored an imposing 57 points on Thursday, Mesquite still came out on top. Mesquite walked away with a 70-57 victory over Arcadia. Given Mesquite's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 19th, while Arcadia is ranked 119th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mesquite's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Desean Middlebrook, who scored 21 points along with three blocks. Middlebrook has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last eight times he's played. Another player making a difference was Christian Garven, who scored 17 points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Marcos de Niza has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-12 record this season. As for Mesquite, their win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Marcos de Niza have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mesquite struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 29.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Marcos de Niza came up short against Mesquite in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 71-62. Can Marcos de Niza avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
