Merrillville waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They took down the Highland Trojans 68-51. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th, while the Trojans are ranked 215th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Kylie Wells, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Malika Jenkins, who went 8 for 17 on her way to 20 points.
Pirates
| 12/15/23 vs Michigan City | 32 |
| 01/30/25 vs Highland | 23 |
| 01/11/25 vs Westville | 21 |
| 12/13/24 @ La Porte | 21 |
| 01/17/24 vs Hobart | 18 |
Merrillville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2023.
Despite the loss, Highland still got an impressive performance from Jordan Steele, who went 8 of 17 en route to 26 points in addition to five boards and four steals. Steele is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least three every time she's taken the court this season. Payton Bailey also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.
Merrillville is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.1 points per game. As for Highland, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 11-10.
Merrillville and Highland are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Merrillville will square off against Chesterton at 6:00 p.m. on February 7th. Chesterton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.4 points per game this season. As for Highland, they will challenge Gary West Side at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Highland is facing Gary West Side at the right time seeing as Gary West Side is stuck on a five-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
