Basketball Game Preview: Highland Prep West HORNETS vs. Payson Longhorns

The Highland Prep West HORNETS will be taking part in a tournament against the Payson Longhorns at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Highland Prep West will come in still looking for their first win of the season.

Highland Prep West is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took a 39-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of Arete Prep.

Highland Prep West's defeat came about despite a quality game from Makayla Sison, who posted 13 points and three steals. That was a full 37.1% of Highland Prep West's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maya Frias, who had 11 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Payson beat St. Augustine Catholic 48-40 on Friday.

Payson found their leader in sophomore Bailey Cline, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 rebounds. Those 11 boards set a new season-high mark for Cline. Another player making a difference was Jaybre Bagain, who posted 11 points and five rebounds.

Payson smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.

Highland Prep West's loss dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Payson, their victory bumped their record up to 12-3.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Highland Prep West has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.