Preview: Bel Air Highlanders vs. Ysleta Indians
Bel Air is 10-0 against Ysleta since December of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Bel Air Highlanders will be playing in front of their home fans against the Ysleta Indians at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully Bel Air is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Ysleta in Texas (Bel Air is ranked 378th, while Ysleta is ranked 1038th).
Bel Air unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They suffered a rough 65-39 defeat at the hands of Hanks. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss Bel Air has suffered yet this season.
Despite the defeat, Bel Air saw an underclassman step up: Jayde Martinez scored 15 points along with four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Adalyn Palomo, who scored ten points along with two steals.
Ysleta was handed a 22-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Parkland on Tuesday. Ysleta came out on top in a nail-biter against Parkland and snuck past 38-35. The victory was just what Ysleta needed coming off of a 54-32 defeat in their prior matchup.
Ysleta relied on the efforts of Mary Raygoza, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds and four blocks, and Jesscia Jasso, who scored 18 points along with five steals. That's the first time this season that Raygoza posted two or more blocks.
Bel Air's loss ended a 16-game streak of away wins and brought them to 20-4. As for Ysleta, their win bumped their record up to 10-17.
Bel Air beat Ysleta 34-26 in their previous matchup on January 9th. Will Bel Air repeat their success, or does Ysleta have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
