Higley Holds Off Williams Field as Gloor Drops 36

Game Recap

Photo By Thomas Guzman

Last night, I attended the rivalry between Higley and Williams Field at Williams Field High. In front of a packed house, the Higley Knights defeated Williams Field by a score of 75-65, with JR guard Noah Gloor scoring 36 points in the win. The energy in the building was high, and Gloor quickly silenced the crowd in the opening frame going 4-6 from three. The energy was sucked out of the building by halftime as the Knights took a commanding 42-31 lead. The game at the time felt like it was a much larger margin of score than 11, with Higley dominating the glass and the interior behind the SR duo of the Dabney twins. Right after the break, Higley went on a 13-4 run to take a 20 point lead around midway through the third. Brayden Hatcher (SR) drilled a couple of threes to expand Higley’s lead. The Blackhawks were not going to go down with a fight however, as in the final frame, Karson Reid (JR) and Adan Diggs (FR), along with Markee White (JR), hit some clutch buckets to get the game within 7 at one point. The valiant comeback effort would end up falling short in the long run as Gloor and Hatcher drained some clutch buckets to secure victory for Higley High. 

IMPACT

The Knights secured a key step towards winning the 6A Fiesta region title by winning this game. They improved to 11-2 on the season and 4-1 in region play, the lone loss being to Highland who sits atop the division at 5-0. This commanding win should give the Knights some momentum going forward into region play, especially ahead of their highly anticipated rematch with Highland on February 7th. Higley can secure a share of the region title if they win out, and they can win if Highland were to fall to one of their final remaining opponents along with Higley. Williams Field slips to 2-3 in region play so far with losses to Highland, Queen Creek, and now Higley. The Blackhawks needed this win on homecourt to put them back on the map in search of a region title, however, those odds are becoming increasingly less likely. The Blackhawks have another showdown with Highland this Friday. The Blackhawks now look to not slip further in the open division rankings so they can secure a spot in the open playoffs. Higley has a game against Queen Creek this Friday, who they previously beat by 30 points. Higley currently sits ranked 12th in the open field and 9th in the 6A conference. The Knights are a very dangerous team to look out for in the upcoming playoffs, potentially a good dark horse candidate to win the 6A title. Williams Field sits at number 25 in the open field and number 15 in the 6A conference. This is a very young and talented Williams Field team who could make a run in the 6A playoffs. It was an exciting contest between both teams, and both teams look poised to make some noise in the playoffs.