The Box Elder Bees will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Layton Lancers at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Box Elder is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up ten more assists than your opponent, a fact Box Elder proved last Wednesday. They breezed by Bear River at home to the tune of 55-22. Given Box Elder's advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while Bear River is ranked 112th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Box Elder can attribute much of their success to Olivia Godfrey, who scored 17 points. Those 17 points set a new season-high mark for her. Ashlyn Wight was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Meanwhile, Layton unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Wednesday. They took a 57-41 bruising from Pleasant Grove. Layton has struggled against Pleasant Grove recently, as their game on Wednesday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Layton's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Roxy Casper, who scored nine points along with eight steals, and Oakley Homer who scored 16 points. The match was Homer's sixth in a row with at least ten points.
Box Elder's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.3 points per game. As for Layton, they now have a losing record at 5-6.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Box Elder have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 28.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Layton, though, as they've been averaging only 27.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Box Elder beat Layton 48-41 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. The rematch might be a little tougher for Box Elder since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
