Catie Cheshire is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Highland for AZPreps365.com.

The Highland High School girls basketball team remained undefeated Tuesday, earning its ninth win with a 47-25 victory over Queen Creek.

Three seniors scored in double figures. Nicole Biscoe led the way with 12 points, while Tieyah Rosier  and Norah Washington each scored 10. 

Coach Chad Taylor said Highland’s success this year comes down to playing as a complete team.

“We can't have one shining star,” Taylor said. “We're more like a Milky Way.”

Highland’s "Milky Way" took some time to light up with the Hawks scoring only six points in the first quarter. They made up for the slow start by scoring 12 points in the second quarter and 16 in the third. According to Taylor, the Hawks’ improvement came from picking up their execution on rebounds and in the front court.

The team practices making adjustments on the go so if they need to change things in game situations they’re prepared. In Tuesday’s game, for example, Taylor said Queen Creek had to work for their shots thanks to Highland’s effort to solidify its man-to-man and zone defense.

“As long as we're kind of controlling the tempo and playing at our speed and our game then we're going to be successful most of the time,” Taylor said.

Alongside Highland’s defensive improvements throughout the night, Queen Creek Coach Cassandra Damyanovich said Queen Creek had a lot of defensive lapses.

Queen Creek also plays Pinnacle and Boulder Creek this week so Damyanovich plans to have her team watch film of the Highland game to prepare.

With Highland ahead by nearly 20 points entering the fourth quarter, Taylor emphasized taking “great shots.”  Rather than shooting a 3-pointer on the first look, Taylor pushed the Hawks to find shots inside.

He told the team if someone shot a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter they better make it. Complying with Taylor’s request, senior Avri Mathie made the Hawks’ only 3-pointer of the night with three minutes remaining.

Mathie is one of seven seniors on Highland’s team this year. Some of the seniors played together in middle school, so the group knows each other well. When Mathie is on the bench, she leads the team in cheers even though there aren’t many fans at games this year.

“I think that really boosts our energy and helps our confidence,” Mathie said. 

The Hawks have high hopes for their season with Mathie and fellow senior Gwen Lund, who also scored in Tuesday’s game, sharing the hope to reach the state championship this year. 

Above all, Taylor recognizes how special it is for this group of seniors to have the chance to play a final season together despite the COVID-19 pandemic, so a complete season for them is his main objective.

“A state championship would be great, but I'd rather just see them play well and play together and have fun,” Taylor said.

The Hawks' next game is on Thursday when they host Chandler.

Queen Creek (0-6) plays Wednesday at Pinnacle.