Valencia is 2-8 against Highland since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Valencia Jaguars will be playing at home against the Highland Hornets at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Valencia is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: St. Pius X, who was ranked 22nd at the time (Valencia was ranked 13th). Valencia walked away with a 41-31 win over St. Pius X on Tuesday.
| 01/28/25 @ St. Pius X | 13 |
| 03/08/24 vs Lovington | 13 |
| 02/28/24 vs Highland | 13 |
| 02/03/24 @ Chaparral | 11 |
| 12/03/24 vs Del Norte | 10 |
Valencia relied on the efforts of Jaiden Montgomery, who went 6 for 7 on her way to 16 points and seven boards, and Francesca Otero, who posted 13 points. That's the most points Otero has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Izabel Zamora, who had six points.
Meanwhile, Highland earned a 58-45 victory over Grants on Tuesday.
Highland's win came from a few key players Valencia will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Rebecca Neal, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. She is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down nine or more in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Breanna Payton, who went 6 of 9 en route to 17 points.
Highland has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a massive bump to their 12-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.9 points per game. As for Valencia, their win bumped their record up to 14-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Valencia has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 28.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Valencia beat Highland 68-55 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Neal, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Valencia still be able to contain Neal? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
