Basketball Recap: Janiya Heard's Big Game Can't Quite Lead King over Miller

King was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 44-40 heartbreaker at the hands of the Miller Buccaneers. The Mustangs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Buccaneers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2023.

Several Mustangs players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Janiya Heard, who posted six points along with 15 boards and seven blocks. The dominant performance gave Heard a new career-high in points. Kamila Hernandez was another key player, putting up seven points along with five assists and five boards.

Miller was led to victory by Hailey Martinez and Amorette Gallegos. Martinez put up 24 points, while Gallegos went 5 of 12 on her way to 11 points and six rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which Martinez has scored at least a third of Miller's points.

King's defeat dropped their record down to 7-16. As for Miller, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 11-10.

King and Miller could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Texas Rankings. King (ranked 967th) will meet Alice (ranked 378th) at 12:15 p.m. on December 31st. Meanwhile, Miller (ranked 662nd) will meet Corpus Christi Moody (ranked 287th) at 6:15 p.m. on Friday.