Gilbert and Highland are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Gilbert Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the Highland Hawks at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Gilbert is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
Gilbert stacked a ninth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 82-60 margin over Desert Ridge. Given Gilbert's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while Desert Ridge is ranked 80th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Gilbert found their leader in underclassman Caia Campbell, who scored 19 points along with seven assists and three steals. Aspen McClees was another key contributor, scoring 19 points along with eight rebounds.
Highland posted their biggest win since December 11, 2023 on Friday. They claimed a resounding 52-21 victory over Queen Creek at home. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Highland has posted against Queen Creek since February 1, 2019.
Madilyn Gewirtz was her usual excellent self, scoring 14 points along with five rebounds and five steals. She hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Addison Riggs, who scored nine points along with four steals.
Gilbert's record now sits at 15-2. As for Highland, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-7 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Gilbert have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 28.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Gilbert couldn't quite finish off Highland in their previous matchup back in January of 2023 and fell 59-56. Can Gilbert avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
