Basketball Game Preview: Payson Longhorns vs. Benjamin Franklin Chargers

Payson is 0-3 against Benjamin Franklin since January of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The Payson Longhorns will square off against the Benjamin Franklin Chargers at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Payson took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They breezed by Bourgade Catholic to the tune of 66-38.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Franklin was able to grind out a solid win over San Tan Foothills on Wednesday, taking the game 56-43. Given the Chargers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Sabercats are ranked 189th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Benjamin Franklin pushed their record up to 22-3 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Payson, their win bumped their record up to 9-14.

Payson lost to Benjamin Franklin on the road by a decisive 72-58 margin in their previous matchup on January 14th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Benjamin Franklin's Landon Christensen, who posted 20 points in addition to five assists and four steals. Now that Payson knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.