Preview: Layton Christian Academy Eagles vs. Payson Lions
The Layton Christian Academy Eagles will be playing in front of their home fans against the Payson Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Layton Christian Academy has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 1,322 points over their last 19 matchups.
In what's become a running theme this season, Layton Christian Academy gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 67-41 margin over Timpanogos. Given Layton Christian Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked eighth, while Timpanogos is ranked 45th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Alan Gballou continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 20 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. He hasn't dropped below two blocks for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Otavio Armani, who scored seven points along with five assists and four steals.
Payson suffered their closest defeat yet this season on Friday. They fell just short of Mountain View by a score of 55-53.
Despite their loss, Payson saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Joseph Wolfe, who scored 11 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Kamika Wesley, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Layton Christian Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season. As for Payson, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost seven of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Layton Christian Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Layton Christian Academy's way against Payson when the teams last played on January 9th as Layton Christian Academy made off with a 66-44 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Payson's Legend Reynoso, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Layton Christian Academy still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
