After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Eldorado, the Highland Hornets were happy to have found some success on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 48-31 victory over Manzano. That's another feather in the cap for Highland, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.
Highland was led to victory by Rebecca Neal and Breanna Payton. Neal scored four points along with 14 rebounds and six assists, while Payton scored 15 points. Payton hasn't dropped below 15 points for three straight games. Alison Ryan was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Manzano lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Zaria Gomez, who scored seven points along with four steals. Gomez hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games.
Manzano struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Highland is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 8-8 record this season. As for Manzano, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-10 record this season.
Highland will square off against Albuquerque Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in New Mexico (Albuquerque Academy is ranked 30th, while Highland is ranked 48th). As for Manzano, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Shiprock at 2:00 p.m. on January 20th.
