Harlan is 7-1 against Taft since December of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Harlan Hawks will take on the Taft Raiders in a holiday battle at at 12:30 p.m. Harlan is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.9 points per game this season.
It was a Battle of the Birds when Harlan faced off against Stevens on Saturday. Harlan blew past Stevens 58-11. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 257th, while the Falcons are ranked 1326th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/14/24 @ Stevens | 3 |
| 12/11/24 @ Holmes | 3 |
| 12/06/24 vs Marshall | 4 |
| 12/04/24 @ O'Connor | 4 |
| 11/26/24 vs Brennan | 2 |
Jaliyah Graham went supernova for Harlan, almost dropping a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. Graham is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 13 games she's played. Jazelle Scott was another key player, putting up seven points along with five boards and four steals.
Harlan smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, Taft took a blow against Sotomayor on Saturday, falling 75-32. The Raiders haven't had much luck with the WILDCATS recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Harlan will need focus on slowing down Avah Castillo, one of several Taft players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alcy Lavigne, who had nine points and five rebounds.
Taft's defeat dropped their record down to 9-15. As for Harlan, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Harlan has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Harlan strolled past Taft when the teams last played back in January by a score of 42-26. Will Harlan repeat their success, or does Taft have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
