The Pusch Ridge Christian Academy Lions came tearing into Friday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 32 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 55-42 victory over Sabino. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Pusch Ridge Christian Academy also won the last time the pair played back in January of 2023.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Noelle Sunukjian, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Sunukjian has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Sedona Dietrich, who scored eight points along with 12 rebounds.
Sabino lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Jayda Haley, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds. Haley is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last ten games she's played. Another player making a difference was Haley Hunter, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy pushed their record up to 14-7 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Sabino, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-12.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy will take on Tanque Verde at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Tanque Verde will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings (they are ranked 233rd, while Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is ranked 85th). As for Sabino, they the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome San Miguel at 5:30 p.m. on January 30th. San Miguel is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'.
