Basketball Game Preview: Blackhawk Cougars vs. Laurel Highlands Mustangs

The Blackhawk Cougars will face off against the Laurel Highlands Mustangs on Thursday. Blackhawk will be looking to extend their current 14-game winning streak.

Blackhawk is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They really took it to Yough for the full four quarters, racking up a 60-12 win. Blackhawk has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 contests by 21 points or more this season.

Aubree Hupp

Points

02/17/25 vs Yough	24
02/10/25 vs North Allegheny	26
02/06/25 vs Greater Latrobe	17
02/03/25 @ Hampton	30
01/30/25 vs Lincoln Park Performing Arts	24
+ 23 more games

Aubree Hupp continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double with 24 points and ten steals. She is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in each of the last 28 games she's played dating back to last season. Andrea Kinger was another key player, putting up 13 points and eight steals.

Blackhawk smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.

Meanwhile, Laurel Highlands entered their tilt with Knoch on Monday with five consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with six. They strolled past the Knights with points to spare, taking the game 61-43. The Mustangs pushed the score to 50-28 by the end of the third, a deficit the Knights cut but never quite recovered from.

Blackhawk's victory was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.0 points over those games. As for Laurel Highlands, their record now sits at 17-5.

Blackhawk strolled past Laurel Highlands in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a score of 51-32. Will Blackhawk repeat their success, or does Laurel Highlands have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.