Basketball Recap: Clara Hilker's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Arapahoe over Southwest

Arapahoe was the 36-35 winner over Southwest when they last played one another back in December of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. The Arapahoe Warriors might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting the Southwest Roughriders an easy 68-44 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Warriors have suffered since February 13th.

Arapahoe's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Clara Hilker, who posted five points and five boards. The dominant performance also gave Hilker a new career-high in assists (three). Suttyn Shafer was another key player, putting up 14 points.

Southwest found their leader in freshman Aspen Billeter, who went 10 of 15 on her way to 29 points. Those 29 points set a new season-high mark for Billeter. The team also got some help courtesy of Allison Vanpelt, who put up eight points and four steals.

This is the second loss in a row for Arapahoe and nudges their season record down to 5-3. As for Southwest, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-1.

Coincidentally, the two teams will both be playing Franklin the next time they take the court. Arapahoe will host Franklin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, while Southwest will host them at 6:00 p.m. on January 3, 2025.