Basketball Game Preview: Highlands Ranch Falcons vs. Cherokee Trail Cougars

The Highlands Ranch Falcons will challenge the Cherokee Trail Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Highlands Ranch is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They really took it to Chaparral for the full four quarters, racking up a 67-30 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Falcons, who have now won five contests in a row.

Ezra Simonich

Points

03/01/25 vs Chaparral	25
02/21/25 vs ThunderRidge	7
02/18/25 @ Legend	18
02/14/25 vs Rock Canyon	12
02/11/25 @ Fort Collins	21
+ 22 more games

Ezra Simonich continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 9-for-12 on her way to 25 points in addition to six boards and five assists. That's the most points she has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jayda Rogers, who shot 70% from the field to rack up 14 points along with six rebounds and three steals.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Highlands Ranch was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cherokee Trail, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They blew past Mountain Vista 73-39 on Saturday. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 41st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cherokee Trail's win was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-9. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.4 points over those games. As for Highlands Ranch, their victory bumped their record up to 21-3.

Highlands Ranch might still be hurting after the 54-30 defeat they got from Cherokee Trail in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Will Highlands Ranch have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.