Highland is 7-0 against Belen since April of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Highland Hornets will head out on the road to square off against the Belen Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Highland will be strutting in after a victory while Belen will be coming in after a loss.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to post seven more assists than your opponent, a fact Highland proved on Friday. They took down Manzano 48-31. The win was just what Highland needed coming off of a 79-49 defeat in their prior match.
Highland's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Rebecca Neal, who scored four points along with 14 rebounds and six assists, and Breanna Payton, who scored 15 points. Payton hasn't dropped below 15points for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Alison Ryan, who scored nine points.
Meanwhile, Belen's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fourth straight loss. They took a serious blow against St. Pius X, falling 62-27. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Belen in their matchups with St. Pius X: they've now lost seven in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jaelynn Bob, who scored eight points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jadarose Wright, who scored eight points.
Highland has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-8 record this season. As for Belen, they dropped their record down to 6-10 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's matchup: Highland have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.5% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Belen, though, as they've only made 2.06% of their threes per game this season. Given Highland's sizeable advantage in that area, Belen will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Highland against Belen in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 as the team secured a 65-27 victory. With Highland ahead 38-15 at the half, the match was all but over already.
