Basketball Recap: Uintah Turns Things Around After Road Loss

There's no place like home for Uintah, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They snuck past the Payson Lions with a 66-60 win on Tuesday. For the Utes, this counts as revenge for the 61-49 victory the Lions walked away with the last time they faced one another back in February of 2024.

Uintah had a senior duo take command as Dauson Gardiner went 7 of 15 en route to 20 points and four steals and Gideon Owen almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. Gardiner is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last three games he's played. Jaybin Secakuku also deserves some recognition as he grabbed his first steal of the season.

Despite the loss, Payson still got an impressive performance from Legend Reynoso, who went 9 for 14 on his way to 21 points and five boards. Those 21 points gave Reynoso a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Zandon Theobald, who went 6 of 12 en route to 12 points and seven rebounds.

With the win, Uintah broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 12-6. As for Payson, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-4.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Uintah will head out to challenge Mountain View at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Uintah is facing Mountain View at the right time seeing as Mountain View is stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Payson, they will venture away from home to take on Layton Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Layton Christian Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Payson likes a good challenge.