The Brighton Bengals will face off against the Payson Lions at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Thursday, everything came up roses for Brighton against Cyprus as the team secured a 60-26 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bengals.
| 12/19/24 @ Cyprus | 6 |
| 12/16/24 vs Layton Christian Academy | 1 |
Lucy Chin went supernova for Brighton, going 7 of 15 on her way to 19 points along with six steals and five boards. With that strong performance, Chin is now averaging an impressive 2.2 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophie Nielsen, who almost dropped a double-double on nine boards and nine assists.
Brighton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, Payson is ranked highly in their home state and last Saturday they took on another highly ranked team in the form of Spring Valley. Payson blew past Spring Valley 68-36. The Lions' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Brighton better keep an eye on Emmy Hales. She was instrumental in Payson's win, shooting 5-for-8 from downtown and dropping a double-double on 24 points and 11 boards. That makes it three consecutive games in which Hales has scored at least a third of Payson's points. Quincey Mathews was another key player, putting up 13 points along with six boards and five assists.
Payson's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.4 points per game. As for Brighton, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Brighton has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Brighton didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Payson in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, but they still walked away with a 53-47 victory. Does Brighton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Payson turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
