Basketball Game Preview: Highland Hawks vs. Gilbert Tigers

The Highland Hawks are taking a road trip to face off against the Gilbert Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Highland knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven contests -- so hopefully Gilbert likes a good challenge.

Last Wednesday, Highland humbled Desert Ridge with a 79-30 victory. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 30th, while the Jaguars are ranked 115th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Highland can attribute much of their success to Nick Reber, who went 7 for 9 on his way to 18 points, and Tyson Cutchen, who posted eight points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Ty Crandall, who went 5 of 9 en route to 12 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Gilbert earned a 57-47 victory over Red Mountain on Friday.

Highland pushed their record up to 11-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.3 points per game. As for Gilbert, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-10.

Highland came out on top in a nail-biter against Gilbert in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, sneaking past 51-49. Does Highland have another victory up their sleeve, or will Gilbert turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.