The Valencia Jaguars lost against the Highland Hornets back in February of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Valencia took a 61-44 bruising from the Hornets. Valencia has struggled against the Hornets recently, as their matchup on Friday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Valencia's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Diego Baeza, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Baeza has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jorge Zuniga, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds.
Highland's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jesus Licon led the charge by scoring 19 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Licon is crushing the point category: he's posted at least 15 every time he's taken the court this season. Raul Stanford was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with seven assists and five rebounds.
Valencia has not been sharp recently as the team's lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-10 record this season. As for Highland, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Valencia will square off against the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Belen's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last ten matches. As for Highland, they will head out on the road to take on the Sartans at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. St. Pius X will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
