Highlands Varsity
Highlands School swept its plateau rivals the week of Jan. 5, earning dominant wins over Summit Charter Academy and Blue Ridge Early College in both girls and boys basketball.
Highlands tipped off the week with a cross-town showdown against Summit Charter on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
The Lady Highlanders secured a gritty 36-23 comeback victory thanks to a strong second-half defensive showing, allowing just 5 points. Jordyn Borino and Hunter Connor led the scoring with 13 points each, while Connor posted 9 rebounds.
The Varsity Boys earned a 57-41 win behind a commanding defensive performance and an Isiah Vilardo double-double, as he finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“We came out a little slow but really picked it up in the second half,” said Head Coach Kaitlin Bishop. “Defensively I felt like we did a pretty good job containing their shooters and then executing on the offensive end.”
Highlands then hosted Robbinsville on Thursday, Jan. 8, with both teams failing to secure victories.
After a slow start, the Lady Highlanders overcame an early 15-point deficit to force overtime. Despite falling 45-41, Borino tallied 22 points and Connor added 12 points and a career-high 16 blocked shots.
Despite a 16-point, eight-rebound display from Paolo McRae, the Varsity Boys fell 65-55.
Highlands finished the week against Blue Ridge in another Plateau battle, sweeping the Bobcats in both games.
The Lady Highlanders had little trouble earning the victory over their conference rival, thrashing the Lady Bobcats 53-29. Anabelle Hayes secured a career-high 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Charlotte Westendorf put up 12 points and 8 rebounds. Conner added 13 rebounds. They improved to 9-4 on the season.
The Varsity Boys captured their fourth win of the season with a 62-45 win. Paulo McRae led the scoring again with a 21-point performance. Bryan Jarquin added 15 points and Jayven Alvarado scored 9.
“We got to the free throw line a lot but missed 13 free throws and we needed to knock those down,” said Bishop. “But we did what we had to do and pulled away and were able to secure a 17 point win.”
The boys and girls teams will next face Murphy on the road on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Highlands Junior Varsity and Middle School
The JV boys opened the week with a tight 32-29 win over Summit, with Jake Smith and Jonathan Carpenter each scoring10. They were unable to carry the momentum into their later matchup against Robbinsville, losing 70-16.
Both middle school teams struggled against Towns County. The girls came up short in a 26-12 loss and the boys fell 48-39.
The middle school teams will next host Blue Ridge on Monday, Jan.12.
BREC and Summit scores
BREC Varsity Girls:
- 1/6: 56-27 loss to Andrews
- 1/8 : 70-38 loss to Murphy
BREC Varsity Boys:
- 1/6: 55-14 loss to Andrews
- 1/8: 71-27 loss to Murphy
Summit Varsity Boys:
- 1/9: 69-64 loss to Nantahala
- Mitch Stone
reporter@highlandsnews.com