Payson Roundup

There were seasons when Page High School was the home of some of the finest basketball players and teams in Arizona.

In 2002, Matt Haryasz averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks during his senior season, leading the Dust Devils to a 29-2 record and the state championship. Three years later, All-America nominee James Anderson paced the Devils to a 25-4 record, the 4A Grand Canyon Region Champion. Also in 2004-2005, Page reeled off a 20-game winning streak.

But those glory years are now only memories as the Devils (7-7) are struggling to regain some lost luster, which Page failed to do Jan. 3 in a 51-38 loss to the homestanding Payson Longhorns.

With the win, the Horns improve to 9-6 and are enjoying a modest two-game winning streak.

Those fans who planned on attending the Page vs. Payson game in Wilson Dome were more than a bit surprised when the game was moved to 4 p.m. “We moved all of the games up three hours to accommodate their travel since neither school was in session,” said Payson High athletic director Gary Fishel.

Slower than a three-toed sloth

The clash vs. Page opened slowly with the two teams combining to score a meager 12 first quarter points. The second quarter wasn’t much more prolific, as the Horns outscored the Devils 10-7 to take an 18-11 halftime lead. The teams continued to play slow, until the final eight minutes when the Horns went all-Cujo terrorizing Page 22-12.

For the second game in a row, Cole Belcher led PHS in scoring with a game high 13 points.

Tanner Hintze finished with 11 and Josh Oakley contributed 10.

While the Horns shot a decent 46 percent from two-point range, the team struggled from three-point land hitting just 1-of-7 long-range attempts.

In addition to Belcher leading the team offensively, he turned in an excellent all around floor game with seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals and two blocked shots. Hintze corralled six rebounds and dished out three assists.

Next up for the Horns is a Jan. 10 showdown in Wilson Dome against the Show Low Cougars.