Basketball Game Preview: Orem Tigers vs. Payson Lions

Orem hasn't had much luck against Payson recently, but that could start to change on Friday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Orem Tigers face off against the Payson Lions at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Orem will head into Wednesday's game on the come-up: they were handed a 25-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged Timpanogos out 48-45. The win almost wasn't to be: the Tigers were down 26-8 in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Payson had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.8 points) and they went ahead and made it ten on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 55-23 victory over the Utes. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 26 points or more this season.

Orem better keep an eye on Emmy Hales. She was instrumental in Payson's win, going 7 of 9 from beyond the arc on her way to 31 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Those 31 points gave Hales a new career-high. Quincey Mathews was another key player, going 6 for 13 en route to 14 points along with five boards and three blocks.

Payson pushed their record up to 15-1 with the win, which was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.9 points per game. As for Orem, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-14.

Orem was dealt a bruising 66-24 loss at the hands of Payson in their previous meeting on January 7th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hales, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds. Now that Orem knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.