Basketball Recap: Julia Barajas Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Southwest

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against McCollum, Harlandale was happy to have turned things around on Friday. They strolled past the Southwest Dragons with points to spare, taking the game 73-57. This was a revenge game for the Indians: when they faced off against the Dragons back in December of 2024, they had to take a 59-55 loss.

Harlandale got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Julia Barajas out in front who posted 18 points and eight steals. Barajas is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 12 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Sadie Mancha, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Harlandale smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.

Southwest's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zariah Bigham, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards. The dominant performance also gave Bigham a new career-high in blocks (four). Julionne Harper was another key player, putting up six points in addition to 11 rebounds and five assists.

Harlandale is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-15 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.8 points per game. As for Southwest, they dropped their record down to 10-22 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.

Harlandale will head out to take on Jay at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Harlandale's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four contests. As for Southwest, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Winn at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Southwest is facing Winn at the right time seeing as Winn is stuck on a 13-game losing streak.