Broncos race to top of Region 15 standings with back-to-back victories over Wolves and Bulldogs in first games of new year

by Bill Boyle
San Juan Record Editor
The San Juan Bronco basketball team opened the new year with two big wins over Region 15 opponents and sit on top of the region standings with a 2-0 record.
The Broncos overcame an early deficit and defeated the North Sevier Wolves 68-58 on January 3. The next day, the Broncos pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Gunnison Valley Bulldogs 59-48.
It was a great start for a new year for the Broncos, who suffered a five-game losing streak in December before closing 2024 with a 71-67 overtime victory over Emery County on December 21.
The Broncos couldn’t buy a basket in the early going against North Sevier, falling behind 6-0. However, San Juan fought back to tie things up at halftime 19-19, mostly on the strength of an intense defensive effort.
After the game, Bronco Coach Easton Nielson said of the first half, “Defensively, we did a really good job executing our game plan. We held them to 19 points in the first half, nine of which were free throws.
“North Sevier wasn’t getting easy looks, which is great. I was proud of how our guys hung in there given how hard it was to get a bucket in the first half.”
Speaking of the second half, Nielson added, “Shooting is a numbers thing and if you miss a lot in the first half then you’re going to get hot in the second half, it’s just math.
The key to breaking the game open was a strong third quarter, led by the three-point shooting of Baylor Nielson. Nielson came off the bench and lit it up with four deep three-point shots.
With less than three minutes remaining in the quarter, Nielson hit two three-point shots in six seconds.
By the time the time Nielson drained his fourth long range bomb less than two minutes later, the Broncos had extended the lead from three points to 14.
Coach Nielson added, “I told everyone in my personal circle that Baylor’s ready to be a killer at the three-point line and sure enough he came out tonight.”
San Juan was led by the 14 points of Nielson. Jagger Nieves scored nine points, led the team with 13 rebounds and added six assists.
Tripp Palmer added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Jake Ivins scored 12, pulled down five boards, and had six assists.
Cole Duke scored ten, while Jaiten Knight scored seven, added six rebounds and had three assists. Cash Palmer and George McNaughtan each scored two points.
Nielson added, “I feel really good about the direction this team’s going. As long as we come out and we execute our game plans, I really don’t care who we play.
“That doesn’t take away from the fact that everybody we play can be tough, so we’re ready for battles every night.”
The coaches words were true when, on the second day of back-to-back Region 15 games, the Broncos faced the Gunnison Valley Bulldogs. San Juan led through much of the contest, leading 15-7 after one quarter and 30-25 at halftime.
Nieves led the way with nine first half points and McNaughtan adding six.
The Bulldogs fought back into the game after a Bronco scoring drought in the third quarter. With a 42-39 score after three, it was very close in the early stages of the fourth quarter, with neither team able to score.
Tripp Palmer then took over, scoring seven points over a one-minute period and giving the Broncos an eight-point lead, 49-41. Palmer’s closing points were a breakaway slam dunk. Palmer’s hands slipped off the rim and he fell on his back and head. It was an anxious moment and Palmer left the game.
The Broncos held on for the 59-48 win and improved to 2-0 in Region 15 play.
The Broncos were led by Palmer, who scored 14 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and had four assists before he was injured.
Nieves added ten points and seven rebounds, Ivins scored eight with 7 assists, Duke scored eight with seven rebounds and four assists, and McNaughtan added eight points and six rebounds.
Rounding out the scoring were Knight with five, Nielson with four, and Cash Palmer with two.
Discussing the weekend sweep, Coach Nielson said, “That is exactly what we wanted to do to start off. We feel like our team is continuing to get better and better.
“When we have very balanced scoring and very balanced production on both sides of the ball that’s when we’re at our best.”
The Broncos hit the road this week with important Region 15 matchups on Friday against #3 North Summit and Saturday with #15 Duchesne.
The boys and girls teams will play both days, with all four games broadcast on Redrock 92 and StreamUtah.live.