Buckaroo basketball teams both split games over busy week

The Monticello Buckaroo boys basketball team cruised to a 62-36 home victory over Dove Creek on January 20.
Monticello jumped to a quick 20-3 first quarter lead extending that lead 33-13 at halftime.
Monticello once again had an excellent third quarter to lead 50-20 going into the final frame with Dove Creek pulling closer in the fourth to make the final score 62-36.
The Buckaroos were led by Cache Young who finished with 20 points. Kord Young scored nine, while Jackson Keyes and Brandt Mack had seven.
Logan Bowles scored five, Kooper Nielson and Jaeden Camacho each had four, Seth Taylor scored three, Triston felix had two and Cach Mack scored one in the victory.
Kord Young led the team with nine rebounds while Camacho pulled down seven.
Cache Young led the team with four assists while Kooper Nielson and Kord Young each had three assists.
Kord Young also led the team with six steals while Brandt Mack had five steals as well and Taylor recorded a block.
Speaking on that quick lead, Coach Josh Keyes said he was especially pleased in how the score was manufactured.
“I like the fact that we created it on the defensive side of the floor. We just didn't let them get downhill.”
Coach Keyes said the teams improvement over the course of the season comes from the seasons starters including Cache Young, Nielsen and Keyes.
“They get it and they talk out there and they're captains on that court. The reason why we are so good as a team out there is because of how those three lead by example and what they do and they do what they do at practice.
“They've brought Kord along and they've brought Brandt Mack along, they've brought Felix along. And it's just fun to see those three that have played together in every sport you can think of from baseball to basketball to whatever they've come together with and it's on them. The success is on them.”
In the girls game, Dove Creek defeated Monticello 44-36. Monticello was led in scoring by Makenna Peterson who had 14 points, while Maron Freestone scored seven and Tessa Slade had six. Annaleigh Nebeker scored five and Marlee Mack had two points.
Nebeker led the team with six rebounds while Peterson had five. Maron Freestone recorded three assists and led the team with eight steals and one block. Mack also recorded a block.
On January 24, the Monticello girls defeated Green River 52-19.
Monticello was led by Maron Freestone, who scored 19 points in the game while Shaydin Freestone added 14 points. Peterson and Slade each had six points while Nicole Francom, Brenna Baxter and LE Olson had two points in the game and Adri Lopez finished with one.
Slade led the team with eight rebounds, while Peterson had seven. Peterson had six assists, while Maron Freestone recorded nine steals. Francom, Shaydin Freestone, Elise Taylor and Allie Carling all recorded a block as well.
Shaydin Freestone shot seven for eight from the field including some tough mid-range shots to score efficiently for the Bucks.
Speaking after the game, she said the team played together. After outsourcing Green River by just one point in the third quarter the Bucks outscored the Pirates by 19 in the third quarter, Freestone said that was inspired by Coach Katie Nebeker.
“She was like, ‘You guys can play a lot better than you are. You need to step it up.’ And so we all decided we needed to step up our game and actually play to the best of our ability.”
Freestone said the coach has helped the roster become a team.
“Having us work together and she is really amazing at bringing confidence in all of the girls. so that we're all looking to score and to play together instead of by ourselves and not having that confidence in ourselves to do the best we can.”
In the boys game, Green River defeated Monticello 78-50.
Monticello was led by Cache Young who scored 18 points while Kord Young scored 12. Keyes had nine, Mack four, Nielson three, and Taylor and Felix each scored two.
Monticello boys and girls hosted Whitehorse on January 27 after the San Juan Record press deadline. They make a road trip this weekend playing at Valley High on Friday evening and Escalante Saturday afternoon. If you can’t make the games you can catch them on StreamUtah.Live.