Alert the neighbors, bother the in-laws, and shout it from the rooftops the Huskies no longer have a goose egg in its win column. Winless no more, Highland went on the road to earn its first victory of the season against English Valleys with a final score of 40-30, on January 5. 

This game began slowly offensively, with both teams scoring under seven points at the end of the first quarter. Then going into halftime Highland clung on to a one point lead, 17-16.

 The Huskies were able to keep the Bears at bay in the second half and never relinquished its lead for the rest of the game. 

“I was proud of the way they played together as a team in the second half,” Highland coach Bill Zywiec said about his team’s effort in their first win of the season. “They played unselfish in the second half and were able to cut down on some of the mistakes we have been making early in the season.”

 In the third quarter the Huskies were able to pull away from the Bears thanks in part to the play of Highland senior Logan Bonebrake. Scoring seven of his team high 13 points in the third quarter, Bonebrake gave the Huskies offense the boost it needed coming out of halftime. He also led the team in rebounds with nine.

“We did not force a lot of shots up in the second half,” Zywiec said. “We were more patient on offense and got the ball moving which allowed us to find the open man.”

Causing English Valleys to commit 15 turnovers and holding all Bears’ players, except for senior Reese Bender, to under six points is a testament to how well Highland’s defense played as a team. 

Elevating the play of its defense was something the Huskies worked on during the course of its break. 

“Our focus over break was to improve our team defense. We did a better job of boxing out and limiting their second chance points. We had a game plan going in and the kids did a nice job running it,” Zywiec said  

As a team the Huskies recorded 14 steals, nabbed 29 rebounds, and held the Bears to a 25% field goal percentage.

It was all smiles on the Highland sideline when the clock finally hit zero. Erasing a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season, with its last win being in February of 2022, the Huskies can approach future games with the confidence of knowing they can play well enough to secure a victory.

Columbus 78, Highland 55

In its first matchup of the new year the Huskies found themselves in a deficit going into halftime too great to overcome. Highland ended up being bested on the road against conference opponent Columbus, with a final score of 78-55, on January 3. 

Columbus opened up the game by scoring 24 points in the first quarter. The Wildcats rode that offensive momentum into the second quarter, leading 40-19 going into halftime. This was its first win in the conference, improving to a 1-5 record in conference play. 

The Wildcats were led by senior Grant Watson with 21 points. Watson made five shots beyond the three point arc and grabbed 15 rebounds, giving him a double double on the night. He also led the team in assists and steals with six and five respectively. 

Senior forward Bonebreak was the leading scorer for the Huskies with 14 points. Bonebrake was able to snag six rebounds and record two blocks. 

The second leading scorer for Highland was senior guard Tyler Thompson, with 12 points. Thompson also managed to steal the ball a team high six times and lead the team with seven rebounds. 

Each quarter Highland was able to improve offensively, scoring more points every quarter than the last, even scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter. 

The Huskies were able to get to the free throw line quite frequently over the course of the game, but out of 40 attempts they were only able to make 16 shots from the charity stripe. 

Pekin 63, Highland 17

On the road Highland found themselves not being able to match the offensive output of a fellow member of its conference.  In a 63-17 loss to Pekin the Huskies were not able to score double digits in any quarter. 

Pekin jumped out to a 17-6 lead after the first quarter and then going into halftime they extended its lead to 22. Thanks to the defense the Panthers played in the second half, only allowing six points, the lead was not in danger of being lost.

As a team Highland committed 32 turnovers in the loss and fouled Pekin 12 times. 

The leading scorer for the Huskies was sophomore Logan McFarland with seven points. McFarland also led the team in steals with three and nabbed six rebounds, with four of them being offensive rebounds.   

Highland (1-9) traveled on the road and faced Hillcrest (6-4) on January 10. This matchup was the same match up the Huskies began the season with. The first game went to the Ravens, 71-13. 

Next on the docket for the Huskies will be a home game against fellow conference member Lone Tree (4-9) on January 13. This is also a rematch from a game earlier in the season. Lone Tree was able to claim victory in the first game, 70-39.