#10 Higley knocks off #7 Gilbert 56-53 for 2nd top 10 win in 3 games
- Mason Byers
- Jan 21
- 3 min read
The Higley Knights took down the Gilbert Tigers 56-53 in a game that came down to the final buzzer.
In the first quarter, Higley used their size to their advantage against Gilbert.
Higley looked to get some easy touches in the post as junior power forward Leila O’Dowd was able to put up an easy basket over a Gilbert defender.
The Knights continued to feast in the paint as junior forward Cadence Murdough got two straight baskets, then senior center Maya Billan got two points of her own down low.
Higley took a strong 18-9 lead over Gilbert after the first quarter.
Knowing Gilbert is a guard-heavy team, Higley head coach James Lefebvre wanted to utilize his team's size and get points in the paint.
“We knew we had a size matchup,” Lefebvre said. “We wanted to get as much in the paint as we could.”
Gilbert was finally able to get some offense going, though in the second quarter.
Leading the charge for the Tigers was their sophomore guard Contessa Ivy, who hit a pair of three-pointers while playing great defense.
The Knights then responded to the barrage of threes from Gilbert by getting hot behind the arc themselves.
Higley’s senior guard Maci Kerns and sophomore guard Sophia Moreita hit three’s on back-to-back possessions to close out the first half.
Gilbert was able to chip away at the lead and find a rhythm in the second quarter.
Wanting to get back to their large lead, Higley came out in the third quarter and looked unstoppable on both ends of the floor.
The Knights' junior guard Claire Greenwade put the game in her hands as she scored seven quick points for her team.
One thing is clear about the Knights: they trust Greenwade with the ball when they need something to go their way.
“[Coach Lefebvre] brings us in the huddle and goes, I want Claire to get the ball,” Greenwade said. “That gives me a lot of confidence to go get the ball and do it.”
Not only did Higley dominate on offense, but it took 5:45 minutes into the third quarter for Gilbert to find the bottom of the net.
Higley would outscore Gilbert 14-6 in the third quarter and hold a 48-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
It seemed as though the Knights would run away with this game as Moreita hit a three-pointer right out of the gate in the fourth quarter.
Being down the most they had been at that point in the game, Gilbert decided to mount a comeback attempt.
Ivy, who already hit multiple threes for Gilbert, would once again get hot from deep and cut Higley's lead drastically.
Seeming like she couldn’t miss, Ivy hit a trifecta of three-pointers and finished the fourth quarter with 13 points.
Higley stayed aggressive on the offensive side, though, and kept drawing fouls to get to the free-throw line.
Hitting multiple clutch free throws was Greenwade, who went three of four on free throws in the fourth quarter.
With less than 10 seconds in the game, Gilbert managed to cut Higley’s lead to just three points and had a chance to tie the game up.
The Tigers gave the Ball to Ivy, who attempted a three-pointer, but it fell short as Kerns played immaculate defense for Higley to get the stop.
Higley defended their home court and moved to 13-4 on the season after taking down Gilbert.
The Knights have now won three games in a row, and the win over Gilbert will only boost their confidence for the rest of the season.
“They got us three times last year (Gilbert), so it feels good to come back and get them this year,” Greenwade said. “It just makes us very confident going into the playoffs.”
There is still work to be done for Higley as they almost blew a large lead, and hope to get better before heading into the playoffs.
“We had a 15-point lead we almost blew, we got to be better there,” Lefebvre said. “It’s a confidence booster, of course, but we need to be better, and I think we can be.”
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