After a string of three wins, the Highland Hawks's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell 58-48 to McClintock. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Highland came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while McClintock is ranked 60th).
Despite the defeat, Highland saw an underclassman step up: Nick Reber scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. Another player making a difference was Ty Crandall, who scored ten points.
McClintock's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Taimari Jones, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. The matchup was Jones' fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyler Frye, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Highland's loss dropped their record down to 8-3. As for McClintock, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-3.
Highland's road trip will continue as they head out to face Dobson at 5:30 p.m. on December 28, 2023. Dobson has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for McClintock, they will stay at home for another game and welcome Apollo at 7:00 p.m. on December 28, 2023.
