The MHS Rams are 11-6 for the season.

The Maricopa High School Boys’ basketball team has won five straight games since entering Christmas break and will look to stay hot as they enter section play.

The Rams beat Youngker High School (Buckeye) 64-40 Tuesday night to earn their fifth straight win and improve to 11-6 on the season. Over the last four weeks, Maricopa has won seven of their last nine games, and took first place in the “Bear Down Shoot Out” holiday tournament at Coolidge High School.

Maricopa entered Tuesday’s game missing two of their regular starters due to academic issues. The missing fire power was evident as the team started off slow, but the feisty Rams were able to find their stroke in the second quarter and run away with the game.

“We’re down numbers wise and some guys stepped in tonight and did a great job,” head coach Jacob Neill said. “It took us a little bit to get going. We had a slow first quarter, but from the second quarter on we got in the flow of things and really did what we are capable of doing.”

For much of the remaining season, Maricopa will face Arizona Interscholastic Association Division III Section V opponents. The Rams are currently 0-1 in conference play, but still have eight more games to climb to qualify for the section tournament.

“We’re in section play for the majority of the rest of the season,” Neill said. “Our first goal is to qualify for the section tournament. In order to do that, we need to finish top six in our section.”

If weather permits, Maricopa will travel to Show Low High School for section game against the Cougars Thursday night. The Rams will come back home against Division II opponent North High School (Phoenix) on Monday, Jan. 11 before returning to section play at home against Blue Ridge High School (Lakeside) on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

“Down the stretch, any section game is a key game,” Neill said. “So we [have to] know night in and night out that it’s going to be a grind and for us to meet our goals we’re going to have to be prepared every single night.”