Over the holiday break, Highline basketball teams struggled to find their footing with the men going 2-7 and the women 3-3.
For the men’s team, the winter break schedule was jam packed with five games on the road and two at home.
In recent action, the Highline men fell to 13-1 Peninsula last Saturday in an away game. Two weeks prior, the Pirates ranked No. 4 on the NWAC Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
The Pirates used a 17-8 edge in points off turnovers en route to an 81-56 victory over Highline.
In the first half, Highline nearly trailed from the start despite shooting 62.3 percent to Peninsula’s 64.5 percent. Balanced offensive and defensive efforts from the Pirates kept them sailing ahead at the half 48-34. Peninsula grabbed 19 rebounds to Highline’s 11 in the first.
In the second half, Highline shooting went cold with 38.7 percent to opponent’s 51.5 percent. Peninsula built their largest lead of 28 with 14:31 and 63-35 on the scoreboard. The Pirates outscored the Thunderbirds 33-22 in the second half and went on to close the game 81-56.
Freshman Kanye Taylor led the Thunderbirds with 18 points on 6-11 field goal shooting.
Peninsula’s Mikey Medlock Jr. had the hot hand for the night with 22 points 6-10 shooting beyond the arc.
The Pirates, now 12-1, collected their sixth-straight win while Highline lost their fifth-straight match. The mostly freshman Thunderbird team is currently 3-11 overall.
Jack Harton/Highline Athletics
Highline’s Savannah Arneach tips off the match against Pierce last Wednesday.
For the Lady T-Birds, their most recent game was against Wenatchee Valley on December 30, 2022.
On the road, the Lady T-Birds beat the Lady Vikings in a non-conference finale, 40-35.
Highline got nine points off the bench and another 12 points from Savannah Arneach in the up and up game against Wenatchee. The game held six lead changes and three ties.
The Lady T-Birds broke the game open with 13 points to the Vikings nine in the first quarter. In the second, both teams struggled to find the bottom of the basket with 3-14 inside shooting for Highline and 2-12 for Wenatchee. At the halftime break, Highline led 21-17.
The Lady Vikings opened the third with a six-point run to claim the lead 23-21 with 2:42 left. Highline responded with a 6-2 run to reel the Vikings and get ahead by one, 26-25.
The fourth quarter is where Highline brought an end to the see-sawing leads. A pair of threes from Mahine Bergeson coupled by four points inside from Savannah Arneach gave Highline their largest lead of nine with 3:14 left. The Lady Vikings couldn’t make up the deficit and Highline closed out the game 40-35.
This was the third win for the Lady T-Birds, putting their overall record to 3-6 overall heading into conference play.
This week, league play tips off with Highline teams hitting the court on Wednesday and Saturday.
On Wednesday, Highline hosted regional opponent Pierce at the ThunderDome with results unavailable at press time.
On Saturday, Highline will travel to the neighboring Green River. Tip off for the women is at 2 p.m. The men’s match will begin at 5 p.m.