Payson has been on the road for five straight, but on Thursday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Payson focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 27 on Tuesday.
After soaring to a 46-point win in their last game, Payson came back down to earth on Tuesday. They fell just short of Holbrook by a score of 44-42. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat Payson has suffered yet this season.
Despite their loss, Payson saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Lizzy White, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 14 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. White is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Hannah Sarnowski, who scored 16 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Blue Ridge entered their tilt with Round Valley with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Blue Ridge put the hurt on Round Valley with a sharp 58-37 win on Monday. Given Blue Ridge's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while Round Valley is ranked 94th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Payson's loss dropped their record down to 14-6. As for Blue Ridge, they pushed their record up to 10-3 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Payson came up short against Blue Ridge in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, falling 49-38. Can Payson avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
