Buckaroo basketball teams look to make a dent in win column

by David Boyle
News Director
The Monticello Buckaroo basketball teams have seen some good signs in the early season but haven’t been able to translate that into a lot of wins in December.
The Monticello boys team is 1-5 in the month, but it started strong at the Ouray tournament with the Bucks defeating West Grand on December 4 by a score of 51-39.
Monticello was led in the win by senior Jackson Keyes who finished with 19 points including five made three pointers. Cache Young ended with 13 points and Kord Young poured in ten points for Monticello in the win.
Kord led the team in rebounds with nine, while Cache had three assists and Tristan Felix came off the bench to record four steals.
The next day Monticello battled hard with the tournament hosts but fell to Ouray 43-36. Monticello was led in scoring in that game by Kord who had 16 points, Cache with 12 and Keyes with six.
Cache led the team with four rebounds. Kord and Kooper Nielson each had three assists and Nielson also led the team with five steals in the loss.
Monticello closed out the tournament with a loss to Olathe. Cache led the team with 15 points while Kord had 12, Nielson scored seven and Jaeden Camacho had six.
Kord and Cache each had eight rebounds. Cache and Nielson each had three assists, while Felix and Cache also each recorded three steals in the loss.
After the tournament the Bucks were back in action on December 9 traveling to Moab. Monticello led Grand County by one point after the first quarter and outscored the Red Devils in the third and fourth quarters.
But a hot shooting streak for Grand in the second quarter saw them outpace Monticello 31-6 with Grand ultimately winning 76-56.
Coming off the bench to lead Monticello in scoring was freshman Brandt Mack who had 14 points, Kord also recorded 14 points while Cache had 13.
Cache led the team with eight rebounds, Keyes had three assists. Mack and Cache each had two steals in the game.
Monticello closed out the weekend hosting the MaxPreps #1 and #2 ranked teams in the Utah 1A in both Bryce Valley and Piute.
Monticello lost to Bryce Valley 83-58 on December 12. Monticello was led in scoring by Cache who had 24 points including six three point baskets. Kord scored 17 including one made three and Keyes who had nine points.
The Bucks lost to Piute 63-41 on December 13. Monticello was led in scoring in the game by Keyes who had 13, while Cache scored 12 and Kord ended with five.
The Monticello girls basketball team went through a similar stretch going 1-3 in December.
The Lady Bucks also beat West Grand at the Ouray tournament on December 4 by a score of 46-29. Leading scoring in the game was Maron Freestone who scored 13 points. Marlee Mack had 11 and Shaydin Freestone and Adri Lopez each had six points.
Elise Taylor recorded ten rebounds in the game while Tessa Slade and Mack had eight rebounds. Mya Lopez led the team with three assists, while Adri recorded seven steals.
The girls lost a close battle to Ouray the next day 39-36. Maron led the team with 14 points, while Shaydin scored seven and Slade had four.
Shaydin led the team with six rebounds and five assists. Mack, the Freestones, and Olivia Plemmons all recorded three steals in the game as well. 
The Monticello girls also dropped a game to Bryce Valley 50-36 on December 12.
Maron led the team in scoring with 15 points, while Shaydin scored 8 and Taylor had seven.
Mack led the team with seven rebounds, and Maron also recorded four steals in the game.
Piute defeated the girls 49-19. Monticello was led in scoring by Maron Freestone who scored six points, Samantha McDonald had four and Annaleigh Nebeker had three points in the game.
Nebeker, Mack and McDonald all had four rebounds, while Maron and Taylor had two steals.
The Monticello girls played Grand County December 16 after the newspaper print deadline. Both teams are at a tournament in Dove Creek this weekend. They play host Dove Creek on Friday December 19. The girls game tips at 5 p.m. and the boys at 6:30 p.m. You can watch both on StreamUtah.Live.