The Payson Lions will venture away from home to challenge the Provo Bulldogs at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Provo is hoping to do what Orem couldn't on Tuesday: put an end to Payson's winning streak, which now stands at six games. Payson breezed by Orem to the tune of 66-24. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth, while the Tigers are ranked 113th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
01/07/25 @ Orem | 4 |
01/03/25 vs Lehi | 2 |
12/31/24 @ Brighton | 3 |
12/21/24 vs Spring Valley | 2 |
12/20/24 vs La Salle | 2 |
Emmy Hales continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 19 points and ten boards. Hales is also crushing it when it comes to blocks: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Quincey Mathews, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Provo had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 28.8 points) and they went ahead and made it ten on Tuesday. They really took it to the Timberwolves for the full four quarters, racking up a 58-30 win. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Bulldogs had established a 24 point advantage.
Provo found their leader in freshman Sutton Villa, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. Sage Yenchik was another key player, putting up 11 points and five steals.
Provo smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 14 consecutive games.
Payson's victory was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.5 points per game. As for Provo, their win bumped their record up to 13-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Payson has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Provo struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Payson beat Provo 59-50 when the teams last played back in January of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Payson since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.