The Bryce Valley Mustangs will challenge the Wayne Badgers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Bryce Valley is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.
Bryce Valley is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Panguitch on Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Bryce Valley had to suffer through a 58-25 loss at the hands of Panguitch. The Mustangs were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 34-13.
Despite the defeat, Bryce Valley had strong showings from Grace Leech, who posted ten points, and Annabella Vasquez, who had seven points. That was a full 40% of Bryce Valley's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Wayne). They secured a 77-71 W over Panguitch on Tuesday.
Wayne found their leader in sophomore AJ VanDyke, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 17 rebounds. The contest was VanDyke's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Makayla Jones was another key player, dropping a double-double on 15 points and 12 boards.
Wayne was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive games.
Wayne pushed their record up to 12-4 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.8 points per game. As for Bryce Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 5-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Bryce Valley has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 24.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Wayne struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Bryce Valley came up short against Wayne in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 52-39. Can Bryce Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
