Nearly three weeks ago when American Leadership Queen Creek took on San Tan Foothills for the first time in region play, 6-foot-8 senior forward Dyson Lighthall wasn't quite himself. He scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds that night. A fair night's work. Illness bothered him, but he played through it.

San Tan Foothills got to see the healthier version of Lighthall Tuesday and the result wasn't good for the host Sabercats.

Lighthall poured in 30 points and a made it a double-double on the boards leading ALA-Queen Creek to a 76-65 win over San Tan Foothills in a 3A Central Region tussle.

ALA-Queen Creek, ranked #3 in the current 3A power-rankings, ran its record to 16-7 overall,  7-0 in region and 14-2 in power-ranking games. The win allowed the Patriots to open up a two-game lead in the region over  San Tan Foothills with three games left to play. The #11 Sabercats dropped to 20-6, 5-2 and 11-4.

"He was going through the flu that game," ALA Queen Creek coach Ryan McCurdy said. "Not an excuse, but he was more the player we see most of the time tonight."

Lighthall scored his points in equal amounts - 15 in each half. He was especially potent in the first quarter with 11 points that helped ALA Queen Creek bolt to a 17-8 lead. 

San Tan Foothills, which had tough luck shooting in the first half, battled and by the 5:11 mark of  the second period took its first and only lead, 21-20. A 13-1 run the remainder of the second quarter, put ALA- Queen Creek back in command at intermission. The only threes in the first half for ALA Queen Creek came from Ben Strong. He made both in the second quarter to key the big run.

The Patriots' player who took a toll on San Tan Foothills in the first meeting -- senior guard Devon Brooke - overcame a sluggish first half in this one. Brooke scored all 14 of his points in the second half to complement the scoring Lighthall brought to the table all evening. In ALA Queen Creek's 59-52 win in the first meeting with San Tan Foothills, Brooke enjoyed a 27-point effort.

San Tan Foothills never packed it in despite trailing by double-digits most of the second half. Sabercats' guards Kevin Tucker and Joseph Padilla were relentless taking the ball to the basket and supplying offense to keep a flicker of hope for their team. Padilla finished with 26 points - 20 in the second half. Tucker added 18 points.

"Those two are feisty," McCurdy said. "I don't know how they made some of the shots they did. They kept playing hard."