Basketball Preview: Mountain View Bruins vs. Payson Lions
After two games on the road, Mountain View is heading back home. They will take on the Payson Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Friday, things could have been worse for Mountain View, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 76-60 loss to the Eagles.
Despite the loss, Mountain View saw an underclassman step up: Bryce Mella scored 28 points along with three steals. Another player making a difference was Simeon Suguturaga, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Payson struggled with assists on Tuesday (the Bulldogs had eight more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Payson took a 69-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bulldogs. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (57), Payson still had to take the loss.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kamika Wesley, who scored 22 points along with eight rebounds. Legend Reynoso was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with six rebounds.
Mountain View's loss dropped their record down to 13-8. As for Payson, they dropped their record down to 5-12 with that loss, which was their third straight at home.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Mountain View have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 42.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've made 44.1% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Mountain View came out on top in a nail-biter against the Lions in their previous meeting back in January, sneaking past 55-53. Does Mountain View have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lions turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
