Desert Hills hasn't had much luck against Dixie recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Desert Hills Thunder will head out on the road to take on the Dixie Flyers at 7:00 p.m. Desert Hills is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.6 points per game this season.
Desert Hills is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They were two points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 41-39 heartbreaker at the hands of Pine View. The contest marked the Thunder's lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Despite their defeat, Desert Hills saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jack Openshaw, who went 5 of 11 en route to 13 points and five boards, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Luke Terry, who posted eight points.
Meanwhile, Dixie posted their biggest win since January 2nd on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 58-35 margin over Snow Canyon. Given the Flyers' advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Warriors are ranked 85th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Dixie's win came from a few key players Desert Hills will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tyson Forsey, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. Jay Jay Davey was another key player, going 8 for 11 on his way to 17 points and five boards.
Dixie was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Snow Canyon only racked up six assists.
Desert Hills' loss dropped their record down to 11-11. As for Dixie, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-7 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Desert Hills has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Dixie struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Desert Hills came up short against Dixie in their previous matchup back in January, falling 61-56. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Forsey, who went 8 of 19 en route to 21 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds. Now that Desert Hills knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
