St. Pius X and Highland are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but not for long. The St. Pius X Sartans will welcome the Highland Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
St. Pius X is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Valencia, who was ranked 13th at the time (St. Pius X was ranked 24th). St. Pius X took a 41-31 hit to the loss column at the hands of Valencia on Tuesday. The Sartans' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, Highland unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. The matchup between them and Valencia didn't end well, with Highland falling 54-35.
St. Pius X will have to contain Rebecca Neal as she made an impact in Highland's last game. She dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 boards. Neal has been hot, having posted nine or more rebounds the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalie Rodriguez, who posted seven points and eight boards.
St. Pius X's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 12-7. As for Highland, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 12-9.
St. Pius X was able to grind out a solid win over Highland in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 54-44. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Neal, who went 6 of 8 en route to 16 points and seven rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will St. Pius X still be able to contain Neal? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
