PAYSON — What started out as a defensive struggle on the basketball court between Payson High School and Ogden High turned into an offensive showcase for the Payson Lions, who won 71-56. At the end of the first quarter, however, the game was deadlocked at 12-all.
The most noticeable defensive aspect of the first quarter was that Payson only had one transition bucket. Transition offense is a big part of Payson’s game, and not being able to get out and run the ball made a difference in the tone of the game early on. Ogden was able to force a lot of awkward jump shots, and this contributed to Payson looking gun-shy shooting the ball to start the game.
In the second quarter, the Lions regained some of their swagger and focused on pounding the ball in the paint. Junior forward Kaleb Wright scored five straight points and opened up the floor for senior sharpshooters Tanner Newbold and Clint Bateman. Ogden picked up its offense as well but started to give up transition buckets to Payson. Once Payson was able to run the ball, the momentum shifted toward the Lions. Payson went into the half up 26-22.
In the locker room at halftime, Lions head coach Dan Lunt told his team, “We need to come to play.” He also emphasized how important it is to commit to defense.
The first few minutes of the third quarter in any close basketball game, be it at the high school or professional level, usually dictate how the rest of the game will go. Payson guard Newbold hit back-to-back threes in the first two minutes of the quarter and got the home crowd in Payson roaring. Payson came out looking very confident and collected to start the third quarter. The Lions stretched their lead to 11 midway through the third quarter and never looked back.
Ogden started the third unwilling to shoot, and when the Tigers found themselves down by 11, they began to make mistakes they hadn’t made in the first half, namely, unforced turnovers. They also gave up a 3-point shot in transition. The Tigers looked as if they departed from their defensive-minded game plan as soon as they found themselves in the hole. They went into the fourth quarter down 46-32 after getting outscored 20-10.
Newbold hit another 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, and the Lions kept up a frantic pace, getting layup after layup in transition down the court. Ogden couldn’t find a way to rally back offensively, and defensively the team couldn’t stop the Lions.
“We picked up the intensity in the second half,” said Payson senior guard Skyler Rowley. “We just settled down and played.”
“The biggest key to our success was that we came out aggressive in the second half,” Payson guard Bateman said.
Intensity and aggressive play seemed to be a recurring theme in the mind of Payson’s coaches as well.
“(Ogden) found out what Payson basketball is all about,” said Lions assistant coach Craig Buys.
“I thought defensively we were good,” head coach Lunt said.
Another impressive aspect of Payson’s game was how well all the players work together and the chemistry they have on the court.
“Trust is important out there. That’s what it comes to out on the court is trust,” said Payson senior guard Kade Jensen.
The Lions will need to have trust and another good defensive showing when they face Cedar City on Thursday in St. Geroge for the second-round game of the state tournament.