Highland lost against Merrillville back in January of 2023 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The match between the Highland Trojans and the Merrillville Pirates didn't end well, with the Highland Trojans falling 68-51. While losing is never fun, the Trojans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 215th, while the Pirates are ranked 45th).
When it comes to explaining why Highland lost, don't look at Jordan Steele. Despite the final result, she went 8 of 17 en route to 26 points in addition to five boards and four steals. That was a full 51% of Highland's points, marking the 21st time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Avery Steele, who had nine points.
It was another big night for Kylie Wells, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and ten rebounds for Merrillville. The team also got some help courtesy of Malika Jenkins, who went 8 for 17 on her way to 20 points.
This is the second loss in a row for Highland and nudges their season record down to 11-10. As for Merrillville, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-6.
Both are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Highland will take on Gary West Side at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Highland is facing Gary West Side at the right time seeing as Gary West Side is stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Merrillville, they will square off against Chesterton at 6:00 p.m. on February 7th. Merrillville has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 197 points over their last three contests.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
