James Franks is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Higley High School for AZPreps365.com

When they met on Jan. 26, Gilbert trounced Higley, 70-40. Things were much different on Tuesday.

The Tigers (12-3) held a slim 39-38 lead at halftime before pulling away with a 78-69 victory over the Knights (9-8).

After the close first half, the Tigers put an emphasis on defensive strategy when they returned to the court for the second half. 

“Our ball screen defense was our No. 1 key and it wasn't very good in the first half,” Gilbert coach Jay Caserio said. “They (Higley) were 9 of 10 from the 3-point line (in the first half) and just kind of killed us. We switched our ball screen defense slightly in the second half and I think it helped.” 

The enhancement of defensive play for the Tigers allowed them to build a 60-52 at the end of the third quarter. 

Junior guard Nikko Pentelute shined for Gilbert as he was able to score from the 3-point line, in the paint and make his free throws for a total of 20 points. Pentelute was prepared to take on the Higley defense. 

“In our scouting report, our coach talked to us about getting downhill, getting to the lane and hitting shots in there,” he said. “So I took the coach’s scouting report and our team did a great job of doing that.” 

Sophomore Chuck Bailey made five 3-pointers and led the scoring for Higley with 27 points.

The Knights continued to compete with Gilbert in the fourth quarter by completing six shots and making four free throws. But Higley committed 11 fouls in the fourth quarter and Gilbert made 16 of 19 free throws, which kept the margin from changing.  

Higley coach Kenneth Drake was impressed with how his team competed against Gilbert. However, Higley’s strong performance did not last long enough.

“Both teams came out with a lot of energy,” he said. “I just told the team that we did not lose the game. We just ran out of time.” 

Both teams play their next game against Campo Verde (8-6). Gilbert will host the Coyotes at 7 p.m. Thursday while Higley will travel to Campo Verde on Friday at 7 p.m. 

Gilbert and Higley are ready and looking forward to playing Campo Verde. 

“We're (Gilbert) going to be locked in,” Pentelute said. “They want to beat us so bad. We are their crosstown rivals.” 

The last time Gilbert and Campo Verde met on Jan. 29, the game went into double overtime with the Tigers winning 74-72. 

Drake feels confident in his team's chances after winning 64-60 in their previous meeting on Feb. 2. “I think we'll come out victorious,” he said. 

The loss puts Higley in third place of the 5A San Tan region with a region record of 3-4.

Gilbert’s victory keeps the Tigers in first place of the 5A San Tan region with a region record of 6-0.