Basketball Recap: Jazelle Scott Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Taft

Harlan won the last time they faced Taft and things went their way on Saturday too. The Harlan Hawks came out on top against the Taft Raiders by a score of 56-44. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 250th, while the Raiders are ranked 856th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Harlan's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jazelle Scott, who went 7 of 15 on her way to 19 points in addition to five assists and four steals. Scott has been hot recently, having posted four or more steals the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaliyah Graham, who went 6 for 9 on her way to 16 points and seven rebounds.

Hawks

Offensive Rebounds

01/19/24 vs O'Connor	25
12/21/23 @ Stevens	22
11/09/23 @ Pioneer	20
12/16/23 @ O'Connor	18
01/26/24 vs Stevens	17

Harlan smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January.

Taft lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Taylor Olson, who posted 15 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Amariya Scallion Warfield, who put up seven points and nine rebounds.

The victory got Harlan back to even at 10-10. As for Taft, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-16 record this season.

When Harlan and Taft next hit the court, they'll be up against teams who recently just can't seem to lose. Harlan will try to stop Warren's five-game winning streak when the meet at 1:00 p.m. on December 31st. Similarly, Taft will try to stop Brennan's seven-game winning streak when the meet at 1:00 p.m. on December 31st.