Payson Roundup

For most of the past weekend, sports fans around Arizona believed defending East Region champion and 2008 state runner-up Payson had lost by 20 points to lowly Show Low.

The misinformation was because a major metropolitan newspaper, a nationwide sports Web site and the Arizona Interscholastic Association Web site showed the Longhorns’ basketball team was beaten 59-39 by the Cougars in a Jan. 9 East Region opener.

In truth, Payson whipped the cats 59-39.

Coach Kenny Hayes said he wasn’t sure how the mistake was made, but it was Show Low High officials who reported the score to state outlets because it was their home game.

By Sunday afternoon, Hayes had corrected the mistake to show that it was the Longhorns who actually were on the winning end of the score.

Which means, the Horns (9-8 overall) are off to a 1-0 start in the East Region title chase with a chance to stay unbeaten today, Jan. 13, in Wilson Dome against the Round Valley Elks.

Against the Cougars in SLHS gymnasium, both teams were sluggish in the early going as the Horns slipped out to an 8-5 lead.

Payson heated up in the second quarter building a 21-7 cushion. Just when it looked like the game was going to be a low scoring affair, Payson broke loose for 22 third-quarter points to build a commanding 43-20 lead.

Although the Horns did not shoot well, 37 percent from the field, Cody York broke into double figures with a game-high 17 points that included hitting four consecutive three-point bombs.

Also, as has been the trend with the team recently, most all the players contributed offensively with nine players breaking into the scoring column.

Tyler Savage had nine points, Cody Waterman had seven and Matt Wilson and Dakota Marshall finished with five each.

Following the game, coach Kenny Hayes bemoaned the teams less-than-proficient shooting saying part of the problem was shot selection and another miscue is that the attempts were just not falling.

“We are not shooting well, we need to get better,” Hayes said.

In the battle of the boards, Ryan Hintze and Savage paced the Horns with six rebounds apiece.

Ever Figueroa played the role of floor general dishing out six assists.

Into the Tiger’s den

One day after thumping Show Low, the Longhorns traveled to Globe to take on the 11-3 Tigers who were fresh from winning the Copper Cities tournament.

After being outscored in the first three quarters, the Horns rallied, but it was a case of too little, too late, as the Tigers managed to hold on for a 56-49 victory.

Once again, the team did not shoot well from the field hitting only 32 percent of its attempts.

York led all scorers with 23 points. Savage and Waterman had seven each.

Hayes attributed the Horns’ troubles on both ends of the floor to “not adjusting to their home court advantages.”

Which could mean the team suffered from a bit of old-fashioned home cookin’ carefully spooned out by officials, scorekeepers, rabid boosters and those who run the clock.

After all, most small-town sports fans have long realized that home cookin’ is a phenomenon that exists around the state.

Game time tonight against Round Valley is 7 p.m. the game will be preceded by jayvee (4:30 p.m.) and freshman (6 p.m.) games.