The Y Yuma came tearing into Saturday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They had just enough and edged Highland out 71-68. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Y to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jonathan Thomson, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 13 rebounds. Those 21 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Cristian Duarte, who scored 20 points along with five steals.
When it comes to explaining why Highland lost, one person who can't be blamed is Sawyer Morgan. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 27 points and 14 rebounds. Morgan scored a full 39.7% of Highland's points, the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Jacob Wares , who scored 22 points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Y's win was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. As for Highland, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Y will square off against Holyoke at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Colorado (Holyoke is ranked 70th, while Y is ranked 47th). As for Highland, they will head out on the road to face off against Strasburg at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Strasburg is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 66.2 points per game.
