On Wednesday evening, the Panthers welcomed the Green River Pirates to the gym in Price. Being Pinnacle’s final home game, they celebrated their seniors on “Senior Night”. The contest also marked Green River’s final game of the regular season, and they played the way they have all year, taking a 72-32 win.
The Panthers have one contest left in the regular season on Friday at Monticello, so the game with Green River was the final home game of the regular season, and Pinnacle singled out seven players on this season’s team. Dominick Vigil, Diego Contreras, Brody Howell, Joey Howell, Riley Davis, Kyson Sayre, and Easton Kelly were all singled out for their contributions to Panther athletics.
Both teams got down to business in the opening quarter, but for Green River, it was all about the offense. The Pirates ran out to a 24-7 lead over their defense against Pinnacle. In the next period, the Pirates dialed back the scoring but maintained their defensive intensity, outscoring the Panthers in the quarter and going into halftime up 38-14.
In the second half, Green River kept putting distance between itself and the Panthers, earning a 10-point advantage in the quarter and increasing the lead to 56-22 heading into the final eight minutes. The Pirates kept the hammer down, and the defense turned up, closing out the Panthers for a 72-32 win.
Jason Hernandez had 20 in the game with seven assists, four steals, and three rebounds to lead Green River. Cristian Mendoza and Rolando Anguiano each scored 17, pulling down ten rebounds and dishing out two assists in the win.
For the Panthers, Dominick Vigil scored 10. Diego Contreras had eight, and Bryson Shumway and Brody Howell each scored five.
Next up for the Panthers is a Friday night road game against Monticello. In the first contest between the two squads, the Buckaroo came away with a 32-22 win in Price.
This contest ended the regular season for the Green River Pirates.
On Monday, MaxPreps and the Utah High School Activities Association will release the final rankings and bracket for the 1A State Championships, which begin on February 17.