Basketball Game Preview: Payson Longhorns vs. Gilbert Christian Knights

Payson is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Gilbert Christian is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Payson Longhorns will host the Gilbert Christian Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Payson's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three games.

Last Saturday, everything went Payson's way against Northwest Christian as Payson made off with a 58-38 victory. The Longhorns have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 16 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Payson's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Clara Whaley, who posted 11 points and six steals. Whaley has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tatum Mcdowell, who went 6 of 14 en route to 16 points and six steals.

Payson smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 18 consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Gilbert Christian strolled past San Tan Foothills with points to spare on Monday, taking the game 45-27. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 80th, while the Sabercats are ranked 220th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Payson has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 23-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points per game. As for Gilbert Christian, their win bumped their record up to 18-6.

Payson beat Gilbert Christian 45-32 in their previous meeting back in January. Does Payson have another victory up their sleeve, or will Gilbert Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.