The Laurel Highlands Mustangs will challenge the Blackhawk Cougars on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Laurel Highlands comes in on six and Blackhawk on 14.
Laurel Highlands is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They strolled past Knoch with points to spare, taking the game 61-43. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 97th, while the Knights are ranked 298th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Blackhawk's strategy against Yough on Monday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Blackhawk blew Yough out of the water with a 60-12 final score. Blackhawk has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matches by 21 points or more this season.
Laurel Highlands better keep an eye on Aubree Hupp. She was instrumental in Blackhawk's win, dropping a double-double with 24 points and ten steals. The game was Hupp's 28th in a row with at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Andrea Kinger, who posted 13 points and eight steals.
Blackhawk smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.
Blackhawk pushed their record up to 21-2 with the victory, which was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.0 points over those games. As for Laurel Highlands, their win bumped their record up to 17-5.
Laurel Highlands lost to Blackhawk on the road by a decisive 51-32 margin in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Laurel Highlands avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
