San Juan boys win one, lose two

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School boys basketball team suffered two losses in their last three games of 2025, but stayed above .500 with a 6-5 record on the season.
The boys are ranked fifth in the Utah 2A standings which were released by the Utah High School Activities Association on Wednesday, December 17.
The Broncos opened the past week on Tuesday, December 16 with a road trip to Fillmore to take on Millard in a non-region matchup.
The Eagles built a lead with a 32-point first quarter, doubling up San Juan 32-16 by the end of the frame. The Broncos rallied to make the score 46-34 at halftime, but another strong Millard third quarter set San Juan on the wrong path in the second half.
They ultimately fell by a final of 85-68. Tripp Palmer led San Juan scoring in the loss with 26 points. Jagger Nieves scored 13 and Cole Duke got ten.
Baylor Nielson poured in nine points for the Broncos while George McNaughtan scored six and Cash Palmer and Brigg Palmer rounded out the scoring with two points each.
Nieves, who has been coming on in the last few games, hit a trio of three-point baskets, Cole Duke and Baylor Nielson drained two apiece, and Tripp Palmer hit one.
The Broncos returned home to host Parowan on Friday, December 19. They trailed from the start of the game and found themselves 15 points down in the middle of the third quarter.
But they took control in the last half of the third and put up 28 points in the fourth quarter to storm back and take the lead. They had to hold off a surging Rams squad in the closing moments to secure a tight 58-57 win.
Jagger Nieves fouled out of the game but he was the emotional and physical leader for the team all game long, finishing with a team-high 18 points including two three-pointers.
Tripp Palmer tallied 16 points in the win, Baylor Nielson scored nine with two threes, Cole Duke got seven, Cash Palmer six, and George McNaughtan two points.
On Saturday, December 20 San Juan came up against the 2A defending state champion Kanab Cowboys. It was a hard-fought, tense, exciting game and the Broncos played well.
The first quarter was fast and furious, with both teams scoring 15 points. But Kanab’s man-to-man defense shut San Juan down in the second quarter as the Cowboys built a 37-29 lead.
The Broncos continued to battle in the second half and got to within four points on a couple occasions and within five points, but were never able to pull any closer.
Kanab closed out the game with a 17-14 fourth quarter, securing a 65-58 win. Despite the final score, it was a good game for San Juan and they can hold their heads high after putting up a solid fight against the defending champs.
Tripp Palmer led San Juan scoring with 16 points, Jagger Nieves got 12, and Cole Duke poured in ten. Cash Palmer added nine points in the loss, George McNaughtan seven, and Baylor Nielson four.
The Broncos will get back to action right after the start of the new year with a weekend road trip to take on Carbon and Rockwell January 2 and 3.