The Payson Lions will head out on the road to square off against the Layton Christian Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Payson focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Friday.
After soaring to a 20-point win in their last game, Payson came back down to earth on Friday. They fell just short of Mountain View by a score of 55-53. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat Payson has suffered yet this season.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Joseph Wolfe, who scored 11 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kamika Wesley, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Layton Christian Academy put the finishing touches on their 11th blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Timpanogos as Layton Christian Academy made off with a 67-41 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Layton Christian Academy has posted since January 2nd.
It was another big night for Alan Gballou, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. He hasn't dropped below two blocks for four straight games. Otavio Armani was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five assists and four steals.
Payson has not been sharp recently, as they've lost seven of their last nine matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. As for Layton Christian Academy, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Payson have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Layton Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Payson suffered a grim 66-44 defeat to Layton Christian Academy when the teams last played on January 9th. Can Payson avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
