Basketball Recap: Brayden Chaney Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Highlands Ranch

Heritage hadn't done well against Highlands Ranch recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Heritage Eagles walked away with a 68-60 victory over the Highlands Ranch Falcons. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 66-50 back in December of 2024.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Heritage to victory, but perhaps none more so than Brayden Chaney, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 15 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Chaney a new career-high in boards. Charlie Gilloth was another key player, going 5 of 12 on his way to 15 points.

Heritage smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive matchups.

Despite the loss, Highlands Ranch still got an impressive performance from Luke Bakken, who went 7 for 12 en route to 19 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Zane El-Bassuni, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 15 points and eight boards.

The win got Heritage back to even at 9-9. As for Highlands Ranch, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-10 record this season.

Heritage and Highlands Ranch could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Colorado Rankings. Heritage will take on Chaparral at 7:00 p.m. on Friday down 58 places (62 vs. 4). Heritage has given up an average of 62.1 points per game this season, so hopefully the team got some defensive drills in this week. Similarly, Highlands Ranch (ranked 97th) will meet Regis Jesuit (ranked sixth) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.