Higley's lost season continued Friday but coach Jerome Joseph came way with a positive feeling.

“We’re struggling, our record shows that,” Joseph said. “This is a talented group of kids, they still care, they still work very hard.”

But the Knights fell short again and remain winless at home after a 61-55 loss to Campo Verde.

“Things aren’t going to be perfect, but we have to stay positive,” said 6'8' junior James Harris, who leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots.

With a 4-18 season nearing an end, one phrase was passed around by the Knights. Harris and guard Elijah Taylor said, “We have to keep fighting.”

While it was a dog fight, the Knights failed to tie the game with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. A technical foul and three successful free throws doubled the deficit and sealed the victory for the Coyotes.

Taylor said, “We have to finish a full game of basketball, a full four quarters.”

Joseph added: “We haven’t been able to put it together and play a full, complete game.”

Even though another game slipped away late, this is Higley’s first season in 5A San Tan. “I don’t use that as an excuse,” Joseph said in regard to moving up to a different division. Last year the Knights finished 11-7 in  division 4A Desert Sky.

Joseph said, “We have been playing better teams, but we’re competing.”

Joseph has turned this basketball program around in recent years. In 2016 the Knights were ranked No. 1 in the state for part of the season.

It will take hard work and determination by the players to reclaim that top spot. That was apparent Friday night when a couple of Knights worked on fundamentals after the team exited the locker room.

The future is brighter with only five seniors. Their star players, Harris and Taylor, will back next year.

The next game for Higley on Tuesday at home against the Maricopa Rams.