The Payson Longhorns will face off against the Bourgade Catholic Golden Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Payson is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.4 points per game this season.
Payson is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Snowflake just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell to the Lobos 49-45. While the Longhorns didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Lobos 27-19 in the first quarter.
Despite their loss, Payson saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kyndall Hatch, who posted eight points and nine rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Clara Whaley, who went 6 for 14 en route to 16 points.
Even though they lost, Payson smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Bourgade Catholic was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They came up short against Benjamin Franklin, falling 52-27. The Golden Eagles were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-9.
Payson will have to keep a close watch on Vanessa Arismendez and Nizhoni Rainbolt, a pair of players who had a big impact on Bourgade Catholic's prior game. Arismendez scored nine points, while Rainbolt put up nine points.
Bourgade Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 2-14. As for Payson, their defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 20-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Payson has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bourgade Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Payson against Bourgade Catholic in their previous matchup on January 9th, as the team secured a 77-23 win. Will Payson repeat their success, or does Bourgade Catholic have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
