Monticello boys basketball earn region win

Monticello teams went 1-3 on the week, both the boys and girls dropped games against Grand County on January 16.
The boys team was defeated 72-44.
Monticello was led in the game by Curtis Bunker who scored 19 points, while Mason Atwood scored 14, and Cache Young had three points. Kaden Pehrson, Jay McDonald, Traken Lee, and Kooper Nielson all scored two points in the loss.
Nielson led the team with six rebounds, with Bunker recording three assists and McDonald having two steals.
The girls team was defeated the same night by Grand 59-27.
The girls also suffered a loss to Monument Valley 62-23 on January 18.
Monticello was led in scoring by senior Kenlee Atwood who had seven points in the contest. Tessa Slade came off the bench to score six for Monticello while Jemma Robison and Braylee Freestone each had four points and Kahryme Alvarado scored two.
In a doubleheader on January 18, the Monticello boys did earn a 57-27.
The Buckaroos were led by Atwood who scored 29 points in the game, Bunker added 15, while Pehrson scored five. McDonald and Jackson Keyes each had two points in the victory. Atwood also secured a monster double-double bringing down 18 rebounds in the game, Bunker had eight, and Lee had seven.
Atwood and Bunker each had two assists. Bunker had five steals and Atwood had four steals, while Pehrson recorded two blocks.
Coach Keyes shared that he was most pleased with the defensive effort, especially Pehrson’s job slowing down the Cougar guard play.
“Tonight felt good not because it’s a win so much, but because we did everything we wanted to defensively.”
Speaking after the game Bunker said the two region wins are a result of progress from earlier season struggles.
“We’re learning how to trust each other, play as a team, getting that chemistry down”
Atwood added the team is improving week by week.
“I think we need to keep what we’ve been doing, keep up the intensity up in practices so we can better our chemistry and build our defense.”