Payson and Provo are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Payson Lions will host the Provo Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Payson is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Utah's top teams: Layton Christian Academy, who was ranked fourth at the time (Payson was ranked 17th). Payson took a 64-51 hit to the loss column at the hands of Layton Christian Academy on Friday. The Lions have been going strong on the season, but this is now their second loss in a row.
Timpanogos typically has all the answers at home, but on Friday Provo proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with a 67-59 win over the Timberwolves. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.
Payson better keep an eye on Makai Allen. He was instrumental in Provo's win, going 7 for 12 en route to 19 points and three steals. Allen is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Griffin DeMartini, who posted 12 points along with five boards and four steals.
Provo is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.8 points per game. As for Payson, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-5.
Payson beat Provo 74-61 in their previous matchup on January 10th. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Allen, who went 10 of 24 on his way to 26 points in addition to six assists and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Payson still be able to contain Allen? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
