On Feb. 4, fans gathered at the Lin L. Larson court expecting to see the Central Arizona College women’s basketball team in full force. To their dismay, fans were greeted with a squad four players short. Whispers circulated throughout the bleachers as to what could have possibly happened to the missing players. Many expressed concern over the upcoming game. Would the girls be able to pull it off without either point guard? In place of Rodericka Ware and Anjenae Torregano, number 24, Daizy Wilson started at the PG spot. The girls started out shaky, missing baskets that would have come easily to them in previous games. The first half was marked with a very low percentage of shooting from the field by both teams, but ended with the Vaqueras up 27-25. Neither team managed to shoot more than four 3-pointers throughout the entirety of the game. Despite missing two starters, the Vaqueras still managed to outplay Phoenix College defensively and offensively. The game ended at 63-50, a relatively comfortable margin for victory, yet a rather low score compared to previous games. Both teams’ field goal percentage was below 35%, with a majority of CAC’s scoring occurring either in the paint or on the foul line. Candice Barber drew seven fouls, but was only able to make 50% of her baskets from the foul line. Perhaps this unusual performance from the Vaqueras was due to missing placers. Regardless, the ladies stepped up in spite of it and secured the victory.

The day of February 4th, was also a big game for the Central Arizona College’s men’s basketball team. Despite missing two players and facing Phoenix College, who placed number one in the second division, the team was confident going into the game according to starting center, Jack Ocwieja. Despite their confidence, it was apparent early into the game that this was going to be a tough one for the Vaqueros. Fans who were still gathered from the women’s game cheered loudly for the men despite their shaky play, but by the end of the night Phoenix College was victorious with a leading score of 88-71. With lower stats all around the Central Arizona College’s men’s basketball team was thoroughly defeated. Many of Phoenix College’s points came from 3-pointer. While Central only made 27.8% of their 3-pointers, Phoenix College made 47.4% of theirs with both teams making nearly the same amount of attempts. Jack Ocwieja had a few things to say when questioned about this loss, “There was no defense or intensity. We were too laid back.” When further questioned about the boys’ current losing streak he said, “All we need is one game to get back on track.” The Vaqueros did manage to secure a victory the following Saturday in Scottsdale (85-75) which hopefully aided them in getting back on track.document.currentScript.parentNode.insertBefore(s, document.currentScript);