Sabino defeated Catalina 64-28 Tuesday night with senior guard Brianna Pitre scoring a game-high 22 points to lead the Sabercats.

Pitre was set to be a rising star for Sabino. She was coming off a very successful sophomore season, averaging over eight points a game on a team that finished with a respectable 18-9 record. Then, only seven games into her junior year, disaster struck.

Pitre went down with a season-ending injury and the Sabercats went into a tailspin and finished 8-14. She was averaging 16 points a game at the time and ended the season as the team's second leading scorer despite only playing one third of the schedule. 

Even with her injury, Pitre signed on to play with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in November and, more importantly to the Sabino faithful, the Sabercats are 7-3 this fall.  She's back.

The Sabercats went 3-1 at the preseason Desert Edge Scorpion Shootout Tournament and things are starting to look pretty good for Sabino and for Pitre as she continues to work on her team and personal goals.

"I still need to work on my cardio and endurance," Pitre explained. "But this team is really close. There is no drama and there is a lot of trust within us. I hope to get to 20 or more points a game to go along with eight rebounds and about five steals. If I can get there then we will be even better than we are."

Pitre has slowly built up her scoring average to 13 points a game with her 22 points scored against a very spirited Catalina team adding to her rehabilitation. Her freshman teammate Katlynn McAllister added 11 points and sophomore Cayla Samson scored 12.

Sabino freshman Summer Fox is averaging 12 points a game but saw limited action due to foul trouble. The future looks good Sabino.

Catalina is now 3-5 on the year and the prospects look good for a successful season under second-year coach Damon Lovato. The Trojans have a strong nucleus with senior Kayla Bahe shooting from the outside and junior Raja Davis controlling the lane.

Davis finished with 10 points and recorded several blocks while Bahe added eight points. The Trojans played tough even when the score got away from them.

"I liked our fight and the way we competed," Lovato said. "If you are a fan of the game and didn't see the scoreboard it would be hard to see who won this game. I'm very proud of their effort. I know we will do well once we get into division and section games"

On another note, the Catalina girls have a great student section. Despite only having about a dozen members, the "Catalina Crazies" are there from beginning to end while making the experience enjoyable for other fans as well as pumping up Catalina.