Bronco boys win two, continue to play well

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School boys basketball team was looking to string together a couple of wins and move up in the 2A standings prior to the start of the state tournament.
The #9 Broncos did their job, shutting down two good teams to beat them both by around 20. They took down #11 Enterprise 56-39 on January 30 and #14 Beaver 63-43 on January 31. With the wins San Juan improve to 13-9, with only one game left in the regular season.
Against Enterprise, the Broncos had to come from behind for the win. They trailed the Wolves 17-10 after the first quarter, but outscored their opponents 23-6 in the second quarter to storm back and take a 33-23 lead into halftime.
San Juan continued to build their lead on the way to the 56-39 final. Cole Duke had an excellent game, scoring 23 to lead the team, with two three-pointers.
Tripp Palmer scored 13, Jagger Nieves added seven, George McNaughtan six, and Baylor Nielson three. Brigg Palmer and Randall Black scored two each.
The following night the Broncos led from the start in a dominant 63-43 win over Beaver. Tripp Palmer led the attack with 22 points, while Jagger Nieves hit a couple of threes and scored 20.
Baylor Nielson added nine on three treys, Cole Duke hit one three and scored five, Cash Palmer added four, and George McNaughtan had three.
Despite the wins, San Juan made no movement in the standings. They remain in ninth place, right where they started the past week.
Still, the team is peaking at the right time and Bronco Head Coach Easton Nielson likes where the team is and how they’re playing.
If they finish the regular season n ninth, they could host Vanguard Academy or Salt Lake Academy to start the state tournament.
With a win, the Broncos could play American Prep in West Valley City in the second round.
But the team is not looking that far ahead, they travel to Moab on Friday, February 6 to face Grand County. The Red Devils have struggled to find wins this season and are hungry.
This past week the Red Devils also played well against Enterprise and Beaver but came up short in tight losses. The Broncos know they can’t look past their local rivals.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on Friday. Watch the live video stream on StreamUtah.Live with the radio broadcast on Redrock 92.7 FM starting at 6:30 p.m.