Faces Pusch Ridge in region matchup Wednesday
By Jon Johnson
THATCHER – The Thatcher Eagles rebounded from two tough losses to Pima and Valley Christian to thoroughly thump hapless Andrada Polytechnic on Tuesday, 69-21.
Thatcher (3-3 conference, 12-9 overall) quickly took a significant lead in the game and never looked back.
Nearly everyone on Thatcher scored against Andrada, led by Charles Johnson with 12 points, followed by Daniel Palmer and Bronson Stringfellow with 10 each, Isaac Palmer with 8, Jay Carter with 6, Wade Hull with 5, Wade Nicholas with 4, Rhett Lunt and Hudson Loperman with 3 each, and Hudson Conrad, Ryan Jones, and Brant Duncan all had 2 points.
It was a rebound for Thatcher after losing back-to-back games against 2A powerhouse Pima on Jan. 15, 28-44, and 3A powerhouse Valley Christian on Jan. 17, 41-94.
The Eagles will next host region foe Pusch Ridge (1-5 conference, 9-10 overall) on Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m.
The Lions are on a two-game win streak, having beaten Pima 35-32 on Saturday and Rio Rico 71-29 on Tuesday.
Through stats updated up to Jan. 15, Thatcher is led by Isaac Palmer with 15.1 points per game, followed by Chad Johnson with 10.3 and Bronson Stringfellow with 7.7.
Braden Byce is the field goal percentage leader at 50 percent, followed by Wyatt Nicholas at 48 percent and Wade Hull – a sophomore shooting guard – at 44 percent. Wade Hull leads the team in 3-point percentage at 39 percent, followed by Isaac Palmer at 32 percent and Bronson Stringfellow at 31 percent.
Issac Palmer also leads the team in rebounds per game at 7.1 and assists per game at 3.3. Johnson follows in both categories with 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists, and Braden Bryce is third, averaging five rebounds per game, while Wyatt Nicholas is third in assists with 1.6 per game.
Defensively, Isaac Palmer leads in steals per game with 2.2, followed by Chad Johnson with 1.4, and Wyatt Nicholas averaging one steal per game.
