Basketball Recap: Alta Falls Despite Big Games from Alia Baldassano and Quincy Kegel

After flying high against Skyline last Thursday, Alta came back down to earth. The Alta Hawks took a 61-44 bruising from the West Panthers on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Panthers are ranked fourth).

Alta's loss came despite strong showings from Quincy Kegel and Alia Baldassano. Kegel posted 23 points, while Baldassano earned nine points and five boards. The contest was Kegel's third in a row with at least ten points.

Kylee Falatea was her usual excellent self, going 9 for 12 en route to 20 points along with seven rebounds and five assists for West. Falatea is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 37 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Fina Tuha, who went 6 of 13 on her way to 14 points and five boards.

Alta's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 12-8. As for West, the win keeps them at an undefeated 18-0.

Alta will host Highland at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Alta is facing Highland at the right time seeing as Highland is stuck on a 19-game losing streak. As for West, they and East will meet in a classic East v. West matchup at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in West's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.