The Higley Knights suffered their biggest loss since November 30, 2023 on Thursday. Their rough 56-36 defeat to Casteel might stick with them for a while. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss Higley has suffered against Casteel since January 19, 2021.
Despite the defeat, Higley saw an underclassman step up: Cadence Murdough dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. Murdough is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Maci Kerns, who scored nine points along with four steals.
Casteel was led to victory by Jackie Rosado and Ava Lewis. Rosado scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and four steals, while Lewis dropped a double-double on 18 points and 16 rebounds. Rosado hasn't dropped below two steals for eight straight games. Madison Slaton was another key contributor, scoring four points along with 12 rebounds and two steals.
Higley's defeat dropped their record down to 13-5. As for Casteel, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Higley won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Williams Field at 5:30 p.m. on January 19th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Arizona (Williams Field is ranked 27th, while Higley is ranked 46th). As for Casteel, they will head out on the road to square off against Campo Verde at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Campo Verde is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune.
