The Brighton Bengals will face off against the Bountiful RedHawks at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Brighton had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They blew past the Falcons 65-45. Brighton has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Brighton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Lucy Chin led the charge by scoring 20 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophie Nielsen, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Bountiful had already won 16 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.4 points), and they went ahead and made it 17 on Thursday. They walked away with a 67-54 win over Viewmont. Given Bountiful's advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked sixth, while Viewmont is ranked 52nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bountiful's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Taylor Harvey, who scored 24 points. Harvey continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Isabeau Hoff, who scored 13 points.
Brighton's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-6. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.0 points per game. As for Bountiful, their victory bumped their record up to 21-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Brighton have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bountiful struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Brighton couldn't quite finish off Bountiful in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 and fell 57-54. Can Brighton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
