The Tucson Sugar Skulls returned to their winning ways on Saturday night at Tucson Arena, only trailing for 49 seconds in a dominant showing vs. the Sioux Falls Storm. The Sugar Skulls went on a scoring tear after falling behind 14-7 early in the second quarter, reaching the end zone eight times in all, outpacing the Storm to a 56-42 final. 

The Sugar Skulls now rise back above the .500 mark, with a 4-3 record, breaking a three-game losing streak that had soured their 3-0 start.

1st Half

Returning from injury, Benjamin Jones scored a touchdown on the first Sugar Skulls possession, with a two-yard plunge. Sioux Falls responded, though, as Lorenzo Brown led them on two scoring drives to put the Storm in the lead 14-7 mid-way through the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Emetrious Scott navigated his way 49 yards to paydirt, knotting the score at 14-14. Scott, playing in just his third game with Tucson, had only registered two previous returns on the season, for a total of 36 yards, before the touchdown.

The Sugar Skulls' passing game took control after that, as inside of the final two minutes of the half Ramone Atkins found Carrington Thompson in the end zone twice (once for 38 yards, and again for nine yards), and Tucson pulled ahead 28-14. Thompson has now scored a touchdown in the last nine games in which he has played, dating back to last season. 

2nd Half

Sioux Falls closed the gap to 28-21 within 42 seconds of receiving the second-half kickoff, on a 33-yard scamper by Draysean Hudson. However, the Skulls snagged their two-touchdown advantage back, when Atkins ran it in himself from two yards out, with 6:48 to play in the third quarter.

Benjamin Jones gave Tucson their largest lead of the game (21 points), with his second touchdown run of the game early in the fourth quarter. And the two teams traded four-yard touchdown runs immediately after. With 5:22 to play, the Sugar Skulls held a comfortable 49-28 lead.

One more Tucson touchdown, a 12-yard catch by Carrington Thompson, his third score of the night, was sandwiched between two Sioux Falls touchdowns, which were too little, too late. Tucson prevailed, 56-42.