The Pinnacle boys basketball squad closed the regular season on Thursday night when the Monticello Buckaroo came to Price. Monticello used a big first quarter to get on top of the Panthers, taking the 62-39 win. With the loss, Pinnacle slides to 8-15 overall and sits in the No. 16 spot in the final RPI released Monday.
In January, the Panthers ended a seven-game losing streak with a victory over Monument Valley. Pinnacle ended the regular season by going 3-2 in its last five contests, ending with an 8-15 overall mark.
Thursday night’s game against Monticello got out of hand in the first quarter as the Buckaroo had no problem finding the bottom of the basket scoring 21 in the quarter and then turning around and holding the Panthers to just five points as they held a 16-point lead heading into the second. Pinnacle came out more aggressive, but Monticello matched their intensity as both teams put up 14 points in the quarter and the Buckaroo took a 35-22 lead to the locker room.
Both teams came out after the half with different mindsets, for Monticello, it was holding onto the lead and getting out with a win and for Pinnacle it was cutting into the lead and getting closer to make a run in the fourth. The third was kept pretty close as Monticello put up 15, the Panthers would counter with 12 of their own and still found themselves on the wrong end of a 50-34 score headed to the fourth. The Buckroo would take control in the final eight minutes scoring 12 holding Pinnacle to just five as they would earn the 62-39 victory.
Brody Howell scored 12 in the contest, Dominick Vigil added 10 and Santiago Alamillo had six in the loss.
Up next for the Panthers is a play-in game on Saturday at home against No. 17 Altamont (2-18). On December 13 Pinnacle traveled to face the Longhorns and was handed a 48-38 loss.
A loss in the contest will end the season for the Panthers and a win will advance them to a contest against No. 1 Rich (19-2), next Wednesday, February 26 at Richfield High School.
The game on Saturday is scheduled for 1:00 p.m..