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It was a rematch of a game Show Low won 60-47 at Payson on February 16.
Connor Hatch scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists and Dexter Waterman scored 11 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out five assists and came up with two steals for the Longhorns, who finished 3-12 overall.
The Longhorns wonât qualify for the state tournament but this win was one of the highlights in a season that first-year Longhorns head coach Rory Huff believes started a turnaround for a program thatâs struggled for several years.
Payson snapped a 26-game 3A East regular season losing streak with a 43-40 win over Blue Ridge in Payson on Feb. 9 and added a triumph over Holbrook on Feb. 19 before closing with its first road win of the season.
Thatâs before COVID-19 changed everything.
The AIA canceled spring sports in 2020, and delayed both fall and winter sports this school year. The AIA Executive Board actually voted 5-4 to cancel winter sports on Jan. 8 before reversing the decision four days later amid a public outcry.
âIt made me realize that you canât take anything for granted because it can all be taken away,â Lee said.
It was difficult to hear the cancellation announcement.
âI was devastated because basketball is a true passion for me,â Lee said. âI love the sport. I was just so happy that they reversed the decision and decided to let us play.â
Months of hope amid delay turned to despair on Friday as the Arizona Interscholastic Association announced the cancellation of all winter sports.
Student-athletes on Payson Highâs boys and girls basketball and wrestling teams patiently waited and adjusted as the AIA pushed the start of winter sports competition from early December to mid-January and cut their schedules.
COVID-19 minimization efforts spurred the moves that included elimination of regular-season wrestling tournaments and a limit of one match per day for wrestlers prior to the section tournament, limiting teams to 14 dual matches in the shortened season.
With only duals allowed during the regular season rather than the common four-team formate with two matches going simultaneously, Payson would have been able to hold all home matches under one of the few spotlights in the state, which opponents love to wrestle under.