After a string of four wins, the Highland Hawks's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 40-39 to Hamilton. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Highland came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked second, while Hamilton is ranked 42nd).
Several Hawks players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Ty Crandall, who scored 11 points. The matchup was Crandall's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Michael Johnson was another key contributor, scoring 5 points.
Highland's defeat dropped their record down to 4-1. As for Hamilton, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Highland will take on Campo Verde at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hamilton won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Gilbert at 7:00 p.m. on December 1st. Gilbert knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six games -- so hopefully Hamilton likes a good challenge.
