Payson has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They and the Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets will face off at 1:00 p.m. on February 3rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Hopefully Payson focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Wednesday.
Last Wednesday, it was a hard-fought match, but Payson had to settle for a 41-38 defeat against the Roadrunners. That's two games in a row now that Payson has lost by exactly three points.
Despite the defeat, Payson had strong showings from Grace Deschaaf, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds, and Mylee Redford, who scored eight points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Deschaaf has scored all season. Chloe Hancock was another key contributor, scoring five points.
Meanwhile, Blue Ridge had to endure a five-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They secured a 62-58 W over Winslow on Tuesday. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Payson has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 16-9 record this season. As for Blue Ridge, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 12-8.
Payson didn't have too much breathing room in their game against the Yellow Jackets when the teams last played back in January, but they still walked away with a 43-38 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Payson since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
