Basketball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Emilee Searle and Peyton Jacobsen Lead Highland to Victory

There's no place like home for Highland, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 57-43 win over the Cesar Chavez Champions on Thursday. For the Hawks, this counts as revenge for the 55-30 victory the Champions walked away with the last time they faced one another back in February of 2024.

Highland was led to victory by Peyton Jacobsen and Emilee Searle. Jacobsen dropped a double-double on 30 points and ten rebounds, while Searle went 6 of 9 on her way to 16 points and eight boards. With that strong performance, Jacobsen is now averaging an impressive 15.4 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Addi Riggs, who posted five points and eight assists.

Despite the loss, Cesar Chavez saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Alex Ballard went 10 of 24 on her way to 24 points and three steals. Ballard is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Victoria Ballard, who put up five points and five steals.

Highland pushed their record up to 8-6 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.7 points per game. As for Cesar Chavez, with the defeat, they broke their five-game winning streak and moved their record to 11-6.

Highland won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Williams Field at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Williams Field is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.9 points per game this season. As for Cesar Chavez, they and Maryvale will face off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Cesar Chavez is facing Maryvale at the right time seeing as Maryvale is stuck on a 12-game losing streak.