Even though the Payson Longhorns have not done well against the Florence Gophers recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Payson secured a 64-58 W over Florence. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Payson's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Anderson Hatch led the charge by scoring 17 points along with 3 steals. The contest was Hatch's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Sergio Madrid, who scored 12 points.
Florence's lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Logan Stenson, who scored 15 points along with 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Stenson is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrian Taufaasau, who scored 16 points along with 9 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Florence were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Payson only pulled down seven.
The victory got Payson back to even at 4-4. As for Florence, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-1.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Payson will square off against Coolidge at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Averaging 69.4 so far this season, Coolidge's high-powered offense has been in full-swing lately, so Payson better be ready for a challenge. As for Florence, they will head out on the road to face off against Chino Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
