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San Manuel head coach Bill Smith gives direction during a timeout in the Miners’ win agaisnt San Tan Foothills last Wednesday. Kelli Luberda | Miner
San Manuel’s Gabe Sierra (21) scored 29 points against the Sabercats last Wednesday. Kelli Luberda | Miner
San Manuel Miner
The San Manuel boys’ basketball team defeated San Miguel and San Tan Foothills last week and now have won three games in-a-row for the first time this season, dating back to its victory before the holiday break on Dec. 18 against Cibecue.
The Miners, ranked No. 25 in the most recent rankings, defeated the Sabercats last Wednesday, 61 – 39. The 22-point victory came after a 55 – 35 win against San Miguel just two days earlier.
In Wednesday’s game, San Manuel took control early, leading by 10 points at the end of the first quarter before outscoring the Sabercats 20 – 8 in the second to take a 41 – 19 lead to locker room at halftime.
“We came out strong,” Miners’ head coach Bill Smith said after the game. “We came out and hit our shots right off the bat and that’s what got us going right away.”
Miners’ guard Gabe Sierra definitely came out strong, stroking seven three-pointers and finishing with a game-high 29 points.
“Gabe has those nights that once he gets started, if he hits his first couple of shots, he’s good,” he said. “Tonight was one of those nights.”
The Miners maintained their defensive intensity in second half, holding the Sabercats to only 20 points. It’s sometimes difficult to play that well defensively for an entire game, especially when a team has a big lead. But the Miners did just that.
“That’s one thing about this group of kids I have here,” Smith said. “They play strong no matter where they’re at, what position they are, or where we are at in the game. They always give great effort until the end.”
The Miners will take on a one-win Ray team on Wednesday before facing ranked opponents in their next two games, which includes top-ranked San Carlos on Thursday.
Upcoming schedule:Jan. 13 at Ray, Jan. 15 vs. San Carlos, and Jan. 22 vs. Superior. All games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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