Basketball Recap: Payson Takes a Loss

Payson lost against ALA - Ironwood back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. The Payson Longhorns were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 61-60 to the ALA - Ironwood Warriors. While losing is never fun, the Longhorns can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 208th, while the Warriors are ranked 96th).

Several Longhorns players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Omar Fierro-Nava, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten boards. What's more, Fierro-Nava also racked up five steals, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Aldan Parsons, who posted ten points in addition to five rebounds and three steals.

Even though they lost, Payson smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive matchups.

ALA - Ironwood's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Noah Adkins, who went 8 for 19 en route to 23 points along with seven assists and seven boards. Adkins' evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Blake Anderson was another key player, going 6 of 12 on his way to 17 points and three steals.

Payson's defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 8-14. As for ALA - Ironwood, their win bumped their record up to 13-7.

Payson will face off against Bourgade Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. ALA - Ironwood has already played their next contest (against Northwest Christian), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.