After three games on the road, Highland Prep is heading back home. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Cienega Bobcats at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Last Monday, Highland Prep was beaten by Scottsdale Preparatory Academy 53-18. While losing is never fun, Highland Prep can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 211th, while Scottsdale Preparatory Academy is ranked 104th).
The losing side was boosted by Kendra Ibeh, who scored six points along with five rebounds. She scored a full 33.3% of Highland Prep's points, the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 64-36, which was the final score in Cienega's tilt against Sahuarita on Wednesday. Cienega has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Taylor Hitchcock, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds. The contest was her third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Puente, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds.
Highland Prep's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Cienega, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season.
Tuesday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Highland Prep have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 10 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cienega struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 23.6 rebounds per game. Given Highland Prep's sizeable advantage in that area, Cienega will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
