Basketball Recap: Provo Takes a Loss

Provo was the 69-60 winner over Payson when they last played one another back in January of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Provo Bulldogs fell 74-61 to the Payson Lions on Friday. The Bulldogs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite the loss, Provo still got an impressive performance from Makai Allen, who went 10 of 24 on his way to 26 points in addition to six assists and three steals. That was a full 42.6% of Provo's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucas Castagnetto, who went 7 for 11 on his way to 18 points.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Payson to victory, but perhaps none more so than Micah Swasey, who went 9 of 12 en route to 19 points and eight rebounds. Another player making a difference was Legend Reynoso, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.

Provo's defeat dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Payson, they pushed their record up to 12-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Provo will venture away from home to square off against Uintah at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Provo has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 211 points over their last three matchups. As for Payson, they will head out to challenge Timpanogos at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Payson is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 66.1 points per game this season.