Basketball Game Preview: Higley Knights vs. Cesar Chavez Champions

The Higley Knights will head out to face off against the Cesar Chavez Champions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Higley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 58-28 win over Skyline.

Cadence Murdough

Steals (Career)

02/20/25 vs Skyline	7
01/21/25 @ ALA - Queen Creek	5
01/17/25 vs Desert Ridge	5
11/25/24 vs Mingus	5
02/02/24 @ Casa Grande	5

Higley found their leader in sophomore Cadence Murdough, who posted seven points in addition to 12 rebounds and seven steals. The dominant performance gave Murdough a new career-high in steals. Another player making a difference was Maci Kerns, who went 5-for-12 en route to 13 points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Cesar Chavez had already won ten in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 65 points) and they went ahead and made it 11 on Thursday. They blew past the Jaguars 80-26.

Higley better keep an eye on Victoria Ballard. She was instrumental in Cesar Chavez's win, going 9-for-16 on her way to 21 points along with eight steals and six boards. The match was Ballard's 11th in a row with at least 15 points. Alex Ballard was another key player, going 6-for-12 to rack up 15 points in addition to five assists and three steals.

Cesar Chavez smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 12 consecutive contests.

Cesar Chavez's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 20.8 points over those games. As for Higley, their record now sits at 16-11.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Higley has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cesar Chavez struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Higley took a serious blow against Cesar Chavez in their previous matchup back in January of 2016, falling 64-22. Can Higley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.