The Desert Hills Thunder will head out to square off against the Payson Lions at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Desert Hills is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Mountain View with a sharp 70-45 win. The Thunder's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Mason Rasmussen
| 02/12/25 vs Mountain View | 18 |
| 12/31/24 vs Elko | 18 |
| 11/21/24 vs Bear River | 17 |
| 01/22/25 vs Pine View | 16 |
| 12/04/24 vs Richfield | 15 |
| + 18 more games |
Mason Rasmussen had an outrageously good game as he shot 6-for-11 from long range and almost dropped a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Desert Hills is 4-1 when Rasmussen posts 15 or more points, but 8-11 otherwise. Jack Openshaw was another key player, going 6-for-10 to rack up 12 points and six boards.
Desert Hills was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Meanwhile, Payson came tearing into Friday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 64-61 victory over the Utes. The score was all tied up 36-36 at the break, but the Lions were the better team in the second half.
Desert Hills better keep an eye on Kade Jenson. He was instrumental in Payson's win, going 7-for-16 en route to 17 points along with eight rebounds and seven assists. The dominant performance gave Jenson a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Joesph Wolfe, who posted 12 points.
Payson pushed their record up to 17-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Desert Hills, the victory got them back to even at 12-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Desert Hills has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Desert Hills came up short against Payson in their previous matchup back in December of 2021, falling 51-40. Can Desert Hills avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
