Make it five blowout wins for the West Panthers this season. They breezed by Highland on the road to the tune of 64-31. Given West's advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 26th, while Highland is ranked 102nd), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading West to victory were Fina Tuha and Kylee Falatea. Tuha dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Falatea dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 11 assists, and ten steals. Tuha is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Tia Pan was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with six rebounds and four steals.
When it comes to explaining why Highland lost, one person who can't be blamed is Katinia Olevao. Despite the final result, she scored nine points along with five rebounds.
Highland struggled to work together and finished the game with only an assist. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as West racked up 22 assists.
The win was the third in a row for West, bringing their record for this year to 10-5. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.7 points per game. As for Highland, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-12.
Coincidentally, West and Highland will both be playing Olympus the next time they take the court. Highland will host Olympus at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while West will head out to face them at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.