Cole Barton came up big for the Pinnacle Panthers in two region victories to move the Panthers to 3-0 in region play and 13-5 overall. Two big wins over Whitehorse and Monument Valley set up an important game next week in Monticello.

The Panthers sit in the No. 10 spot in the 1A RPI. The ranking will be updated after every game leading up to the final contest of the season, after which the rankings will be used for placement in the state tournament.

Last Friday night against Whitehorse on the road, the Panthers had pulled ahead just slightly over the Raiders 33-32. Coming out in the third quarter, Pinnacle outscored their opponent 19-8 pushing the Panther lead to 52-40.

Whitehorse came back in the fourth, to put 19 on the board, but Pinnacle kept the pace they had established in the third and held on for the nine point win 68-59.

Barton put up 21 in the win, grabbing five rebounds. Ryker Howell added 18 to go with five boards, Brody Howell had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds and Jonathan Kessler had the stat line of the night with 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals in the win.

Tuesday night, the Panthers were on the road once again to face the Monument Valley Cougars. The Cougars are No. 16 with a 4-10 overall record and a region mark of 0-3.

The Panthers were hungry for another win as they jumped all over the Cougars taking a 33-22 lead into the locker room at halftime. Pinnacle would push their 11 point halftime lead to 15 heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was the only one in the contest that where Panthers were outscored by the Cougars, but after building up the lead all game Pinnacle had no problem holding on for the 63-50 win.

Barton once again led the way with 19, while Ryker Howell put up 15. Brody Howell and Kessler each added seven.

Pinnacle will be back on the road Tuesday, January 31  when they will travel to Monticello, with first place in Region 23 at stake. Monticello is 6-8 and sits in the No. 14 spot, but they also hold an identical 3-0 region mark.

The Panthers will then be back home on Friday, February 3 to face Monument Valley. Tip-off is set for 7:00.