It was another area basketball doubleheader in Riverside on Friday with the Highland girls taking care of business against Columbus Community, but the Wildcat boys returned the favor in the nightcap. 

The girls’ game was all Huskies from the onset with a 13-6 first quarter lead ballooning to a 34-13 advantage at the break and eventually a 61-23 final score. Abbi Stransky led all scorers with 21 points including four triples and bringing in 12 rebounds. Dani Laughlin added 16 points while Sarah Burton had 10 points and 10 boards. Sera Vela led Columbus with nine points and Aracely Garza had 10 boards. Highland improves to 4-4 and 3-2 in the SEISC. Columbus is 2-7 and 1-5 in the league.

The boys’ game saw the Wildcats break an 11-11 tie with a 12-3 second quarter that helped pave the way to a 56-42 victory. Grant Watson connected on eight of 13 shots for a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds. Marco Martinez was also in double figures with 18 points. The win snaps an 18-game losing skid for Columbus against Highland dating back to 2011. The Wildcats are now 2-5 overall and 2-4 in conference while the Huskies drop to 0-6 and 0-4 in the SEISC.