Broncos suffer tough loss in fast, physical rivalry battle with Grand County

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
It was a light week this past week for the San Juan High School boys basketball team, but the game they did play was a true barn burner.
The Broncos traveled to Moab on Friday, January 19 for a 2A Region 15 local rivalry showdown with the Grand County Red Devils and the anticipated matchup did not disappoint.
The game was fast-paced and physical right from the start, and the teams took turns holding the lead. San Juan trailed for most of the first quarter, but eventually mounted a nice rally to take an 18-12 lead at the buzzer.
That lead was short-lived as Grand County bounced back to outscore the Broncos 20-12 in the second quarter and take a 32-30 lead at halftime.
Though San Juan battled hard, they returned to the floor a bit flat in the third quarter and fell behind 45-37 heading into the final frame.
The Broncos continued to fight and were within two points on several occasions. But they were never able to tie or regain the lead.
The Red Devils received numerous foul shot opportunities down the stretch and were very strong from the line on the way to a 73-67 victory.
It was obvious the Broncos had left their hearts on the floor and it was a bit of a deflating loss, their fourth in five games. But the team has an outstanding ability to bounce back from tough circumstances.
And San Juan continues to play an excellent team game. They got 31 points and 14 rebounds off the bench in the loss.
Anthony Done led the way with 17 points but sophomore Tripp Palmer had his best game of the year, coming off the bench to score 13. RJ Dalley had 11 in the loss and Jagger Nieves got ten points also off the bench.
Keaton Ivins scored six, Weston Jones added five, Jaiten Knight got three, and Jake Ivins scored a couple. Not surprisingly, Dalley led the team with three three-pointers. Jones, Done, and Palmer had one apiece.
Four Broncos had six rebounds in the game: Dalley, Nieves, Done, and Palmer. Keaton Ivins pulled down three boards while Nielson, Jones, and Jake Ivins all had one apiece.
San Juan dropped to 7-11 with the loss and are ranked 12th in the Utah 2A standings. They’re set for a couple big Region 15 matchups on odd days this week.
On Thursday they welcome the #19 North Sevier Wolves to the SJHS gym for a 7 p.m. tip. Then on Friday they host the #10 Gunnison Valley Bulldogs at 4 p.m.
Catch both games live on Redrock 92 Radio with video on streamutah.live. The broadcasts begin approximately 30 minutes before tip time.