SIGNAL PEAK — The Central Arizona College Vaqueras entered their Wednesday night game against Mesa Community College suffering from a four-game losing streak.

Desperate for a win, the Vaqueras battled with the Thunderbirds through all four quarters and used a team effort with 5 players scoring in double figures to eventually edged out their opposition and win in impressive fashion 70-58. 

The Vaqueras quickly started the game on a hot streak offensively, going on an 8-0 run and found an early momentum boost.

Ultimately, the Thunderbirds would get their legs under them, clawing back to make it a tight three-point CAC lead entering the second quarter.

The second quarter saw the Vaqueras go on a big run to regain a sizable lead, using their strong passing skills and three-point shooting to their advantage.

Sophomore point guard Senya Rabouin once again put the team on her back, scoring 19 points in the contest, along with six rebounds and six assists.

Fellow sophomore guard Mia Ross also put in a solid performance for the Vaqueras, with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the stat sheet.

With a 16-point lead going into the second half, the Vaqueras continued to subdue the strong Mesa team, making them feel the pressure and winning the mental game.

"We had lost four in a row and it didn't feel like we were playing at our best, I think our energy was a bit low," Vaqueras head coach Geoff Golden said. "Tonight was about us coming out and working to re-establish our core values on the floor and protect home court."

As the game progressed, tempers started to flare between the two squads. A Mesa player was ejected from the game for throwing a punch, as well as the Thunderbirds received a couple of technical fouls in the contest.

Golden said he felt his team needed to not back down from the challenge of a physical Mesa squad and play to their potential.

"This is a very good Mesa team, we lost to them by 10 at their place and we felt like we had a good chance of beating them tonight," He said. "When we show up with purpose and a focused mindset, we are capable of beating really good teams."

Golden added that although he is happy with the win, the team is still trying to find their balance this season.

The Vaqueras head coach explained that the team has a tendency to play down to a lesser opponents level and hopes they can start finding more consistency on the floor.

"No matter who shows up to play us, we have to do what we do at a high level," he said. "We have to be able to play strong against both good teams and bad teams."

With just 10 games left on their schedule, the Vaqueras still have an outside shot of securing a playoff spot.

For Golden, the team's goal is to find a way to make the playoffs and continue to improve and finish the season strong.

"We dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole by losing some games that we shouldn't have lost, we have to win some big games that are ahead of us," he said. "We have to win our games at home and hopefully take that confidence into February when we go on the road."

The Vaqueras will host South Mountain CC on Saturday 28th at 4pm