Rivalry night ends in two Highlands wins
Highlands and Blue Ridge renewed their historic rivalry on the basketball floor Tuesday night at “The Ridge.”
The Highlanders exited with a pair of victories.
In the girl’s game, the Bobcats got off to a fast start when McKenzie Woods opened the showdown with a 3-point basket.
Over the next 11 minutes of game time, Highlands answered with a 20-0 run and took control of the contest. Both teams only had seven players available for the game, so the Bobcats stayed in a zone defense to avoid foul trouble, and Highlands took advantage.
By halftime the score had ballooned to a 35-10 lead for the visitors.
“We were patient on offense and we moved the ball against the zone, which got us some easy baskets in the second quarter,” Highlands coach Brett Lamb said. “We were down one player who rolled an ankle in warmups, and we had another not feeling her best, so we were really relying on a short rotation.”
Hope Ward got the Bobcats off to a good start in the third quarter with a quick basket, but an immediate answer from Highlands forward Hunter Conner allowed the Highlanders to regain the momentum and close out the contest for a 65-24 victory.
AE Woods led the Highlanders with 15 points. Conner and Charlotte Westendorf each added 13 in the win. Brooklyn Kenney led Blue Ridge with 14 points.
Highlands (11-8 overall) will be back in action on Feb. 4 at Hiwassee Dam. Blue Ridge’s (4-8 overall) next game will also be against Hiwassee Dam on the road, Friday night.
Boy’s basketball
Highlands 43, Blue Ridge 27
A pair of big nights from their starting guards led Highlands to a 43-27 win over Blue Ridge on Tuesday night.
In a game that ranged from hard-fought to frantic, both teams started slow offensively in a fast-paced first half. Back-to-back buckets from Paolo McRae and Brian Jarquin pushed Highlands ahead 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Blue Ridge battled back in the second quarter and held Highlands to five points in the period. The third quarter was much of the same as tight defense and turnovers marked the pace of play and the visitor’s lead ranged from 6-10 points.
Jarquin took over late in the game as Blue Ridge got desperate on defense and began to take chances in search of steals. Highlands point guard delivered nine of his game-high 18 points in the final eight minutes.
Isaiah Villardo added 10 points in the win and Kasen Mitchell chipped in nine.
Anthony Baumgarner, Evan Pressley, and Dakota Kinsey each finished with eight points for the Bobcats.
Blue Ridge (2-12 overall) will travel to Hiwassee Dam on Friday. Highlands (6-13 overall) will be the guest of Hiwassee Dam on Feb. 4.