Recap: Highland Rams vs. West Panthers
This season hasn't been kind to the Highland Rams, who are still winless after their 12th contest. They were beaten by West 64-31 on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, Highland can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 102nd, while West is ranked 26th).
When it comes to explaining why Highland lost, one person who can't be blamed is Katinia Olevao. Despite the final result, she scored nine points along with five rebounds.
Highland struggled to work together and finished the game with only an assist. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as West racked up 22 assists.
Leading West to victory were Fina Tuha and Kylee Falatea. Tuha dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Falatea dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 11 assists, and ten steals. Tuha is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Tia Pan was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Highland's loss was their eighth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 0-12. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 29.5 points per game. As for West, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 10-5.
Coincidentally, Highland and West will both be playing Olympus the next time they take the court. Highland will host Olympus at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while West will head out to face them at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.