Alton Girls Pull Away Early, Defeat Highland 51-31 at Highland Shootout

HIGHLAND — The Alton girls basketball team opened play at the Highland Shootout with a strong performance Saturday morning, pulling away from the host Highland Lady Bulldogs for a 51-31 victory.

The game was competitive early, with Highland grabbing its only lead midway through the first quarter. With 4:02 remaining in the opening quarter, the Lady Bulldogs held a five-point advantage, but Alton responded with a quick run to regain control. The Redbirds closed the quarter on top 10-8 and never trailed again.

Alton began to separate in the second quarter, using steady offense and defensive pressure to build a double-digit lead. The Redbirds outscored Highland 17-8 in the period to take a 27-16 advantage into halftime.

Momentum stayed firmly on Alton’s side coming out of the break, as they extended the lead to 42-23 by the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Alton maintained its composure and closed out the game by outscoring Highland 9-8 to secure the 20-point win.

Kaylea Lacey led Alton with a game-high 19 points, while Ja’kayla Steen added 11 points in the balanced effort.

Highland was paced by Jordan Bircher, who finished with 18 points in the loss.