Gilbert had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.8 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Tuesday. They strolled past the Higley Knights with points to spare, taking the game 29-12.
A big part of Gilbert's victory came down to the chemistry between Lilah Barton and her top target Jalyssa Guerrero. Barton threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns while Guerrero gained 78 total yards and two touchdowns. What's more, Barton also racked up 61 rushing yards, the most she's had since back in September.
Gilbert didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Brylee Gaylord and Guerrero.
Despite the loss, Higley had strong showings from Cadence Murdough, who picked up 171 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Ava Taliaferro, who threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72.1% of her passes. Murdough didn't just play on offense: he also made two total tackles and defended a pass in addition to snagging an interception. Maci Kerns also helped out with an impressive 102 receiving yards.
Gilbert is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 7.3 points per game. As for Higley, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season.
Gilbert will square off against Highland at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Gilbert has won four straight at home, while Highland won three straight on the road), something that'll have to change. As for Higley, they will challenge Williams Field at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Higley is facing Williams Field at the right time seeing as Williams Field is stuck on a five-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
