Preview: Albuquerque Academy Chargers vs. Highland Hornets
Albuquerque Academy is 1-7 against Highland since November of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Albuquerque Academy Chargers will be playing at home against the Highland Hornets at 7:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Albuquerque Academy gave their fans yet another huge victory on Saturday. They blew past Belen 53-32. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Albuquerque Academy has posted since December 28, 2023.
Among those leading the charge was Noelani Montoya, who scored 19 points along with nine rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points she has scored all season. Addie Spratley was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to post seven more assists than your opponent, a fact Highland proved on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 48-31 victory over Manzano. The victory was just what Highland needed coming off of a 79-49 defeat in their prior matchup.
Rebecca Neal and Breanna Payton were among the main playmakers for Highland as the former scored four points along with 14 rebounds and six assists and the latter scored 15 points. Payton is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Alison Ryan, who scored nine points.
Albuquerque Academy's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-5. As for Highland, the win got them back to even at 8-8.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Albuquerque Academy have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.8% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've made 38.5% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Albuquerque Academy and Highland were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in December of 2023, but Albuquerque Academy came up empty-handed after a 49-48 defeat. Can Albuquerque Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
