Chandler, Ariz. – OUAZ Men's Basketball fought hard to come back and force overtime, but fell short against Rocky Mountain (7-2), losing 92-102 in their final game of the 2024 Cactus Classic. The loss puts the Spirit at 7-5 on the year.
The Spirit's offense had a solid day with a 43.9% shooting percentage from the field, and a 36.1% shooting percentage from the three-point line. They also won the turnover battle by only allowing 10 turnovers while forcing Rocky Mountain into 16 turnovers. Unfortunately, the Rocky Mountain Offense had a great day as well with a 44.7% shooting percentage from the field, a 37.5% shooting percentage from the three-point line, and six out of the nine players that recorded minutes scoring in double figures.
Four Spirit players finished with double-digit points, led by CJ Reed's 25-point performance on a 43.8% shooting percentage, including shooting 71.4% from the three-point line, while also adding six rebounds, three assists, and a steal to his total. Zeke Viuhkola had a solid day in the effort with 19pts, seven rebounds, one block, and one steal. OUAZ also got contributions from Quinn Thorne, who had a line of (11pts, five assists, and one rebound), with Reggie Orr adding (17pts, three steals, three rebounds, and two assists) on the night.
The Spirit will play two home games next week to finish off 2024, before heading into conference play in the New Year. First, they will take on Briar Cliff (5-7) Wednesday, December 18th at 6:00 PM (MST). They will finish the week on Friday, December 20th against Morningside (10-2) in a 2:00 PM (MST) matchup. All home games next week will be free to enter, so come on out and support your Spirit!
