Steadily getting back up to speed, Broncos upset North Summit

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School boys basketball team played some of their best basketball of the new year against some of their toughest opponents this past week, but all they have to show for it is one win in three tries.
It was a big win indeed on Friday, January 12 in the San Juan gym – a 77-70 upset of the third-ranked team in the Utah 2A ranks, the North Summit Braves.
The teams traded the lead numerous times through the first two quarters with neither able to establish any significant distance from their opponent. North Summit led 31-30 at halftime.
But in the third quarter the Broncos flexed their muscle to outscore the Braves 26-17. The visitors put together their highest-scoring quarter of the night, scoring 22 points in the fourth.
But San Juan was a poor host, matching the Braves shot-for-shot to score 21 and close out the win. It was a culmination of excellent preparation and execution for the Broncos.
Senior RJ Dalley knocked down five three-pointers and led the team in scoring with 17 points. San Juan was an impressive 28 of 34 at the free throw line for 82 percent.
The Broncos out-rebounded North Summit 28-21 and turned the ball over 11 times while the Braves lost it 16 times. San Juan also had ten steals with North Summit getting nine.
Behind Dalley Tripp Palmer came off the bench to score 12 points for the Broncos. He had an outstanding game filling in for Keaton Ivins when Ivins got into early foul trouble. Weston Jones, Jake Ivins, and Anthony Done all got nine apiece.
San Juan Head Coach Easton Nielson was of course very proud of his pla syers and expressed a desire that they use the win as a springboard to continue honing their game as they run through a Region 15 schedule that will definitely feature tough opponents.
Prior to the upset victory on Friday the Broncos traveled to Monroe to take on the South Sevier Rams. Though they suffered a 78-61 loss it was a come-together type of game that got the Broncos back to speed after a slow start to 2024.
The full team effort and strong fundamentals were evident as the team began to look like the San Juan team that was on the court before the Christmas break.
It was another impressive night for RJ Dalley as he drained six three-point baskets and led the team in scoring with 20 points.
Anthony Done had a good night also with 19 points and Jake Ivins was the third Bronco in double-digit scoring with ten. Keaton Ivins scored six points in the loss, Tripp Palmer four, and Brigham Nielson two.
Done led the team with eight rebounds. Jake Ivins pulled down four and Dalley had three. Nielson, Keaton Ivins, and Weston Jones all had two apiece.
To close out the week the Broncos welcomed the Duchesne Eagles to Blanding on Saturday, January 13 for a region showdown with the team that was ranked fifth in the state at the time of their meeting. San Juan had actually jumped up to #11 temporarily.
Similar to the game with North Summit the teams traded one-point leads for most of the game. Despite a tough second quarter in which the Broncos only mustered seven points, they were still right in the game at halftime down only one point, 26-25.
Duchesne increased their lead by two in the third quarter, but San Juan rallied to outscore the Eagles 18-15 in the fourth, tying the game at 56-56 and forcing overtime.
Though it was never large, Duchesne led from the start in the OT and were able to keep the Broncos at arm’s length for the duration.
San Juan’s inability to secure a defensive rebound in the waning seconds of the overtime ultimately sealed their fate in a 69-66 final. The loss dropped them to 7-10 on the season and 12th place in the 2A standings.
Four Broncos scored in double digits. Anthony Done led with 21, Jagger Nieves scored 12, RJ Dalley had 11, and Jake Ivins added ten. Tripp Palmer and Justice Black came off the bench to score eight points and four respectively.
Dalley hit three buckets from beyond the three-point arc and Done had one. Weston Jones led the team with ten rebounds. Dalley and Palmer pulled down six apiece. As a team San Juan collected 35 boards.
It was a heartbreaking loss to be sure, in a game that San Juan could have and probably should have won. But it does no good to dwell on that disappointment now.
The Broncos are going right back to work with a trip to Moab to take on the Grand County Red Devils in the first of two meetings this season. Now that Grand is in the Broncos’ 2A region, the rivalry once again takes on a little more significance.
The tip is set for 7 p.m. this Friday, January 20 and the game will be broadcast live on Redrock 92 Radio with streaming video on StreamUtah.Live.