Preview: Dixie Flyers vs. Crimson Cliffs Mustangs
Two dominant players in Kyle Lemke and Sean Felts are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Dixie Flyers and the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs will face off at 7:00 p.m. on December 20th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Even though Timpview scored an imposing 73 points on Friday, Dixie still came out on top. In a tight contest that could have gone either way, Dixie made off with a 74-73 win over Timpview. Given Dixie's advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while Timpview is ranked 54th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Dixie's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Lemke led the charge by scoring 26 points along with five rebounds and five blocks. The contest was Lemke's seventh in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Roberts, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 assists.
Meanwhile, Crimson Cliffs scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They put the hurt on Cottonwood with a sharp 82-61 victory. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
It was another big night for Felts, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and ten rebounds. Those 29 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Drake Carroll, who scored 13 points along with five assists and five rebounds.
Dixie's victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Crimson Cliffs, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's matchup: Dixie have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 5.7 threes per game. It's a different story for Crimson Cliffs, though, as they've been averaging only 4.5 threes per game. Given Dixie's sizeable advantage in that area, Crimson Cliffs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Dixie strolled past Crimson Cliffs in their previous matchup last Saturday by a score of 77-62. Does Dixie have another victory up their sleeve, or will Crimson Cliffs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
