Recap: Big Piney Punchers vs. Rich Rebels
After flying high against the Shoshoni Wranglers back in December of 2023, the Big Piney Punchers came back down to earth. Big Piney lost to Rich on the road by a decisive 65-48 margin on Saturday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Big Piney came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 31st in Wyoming, while Rich is ranked 85th in Utah).
Rich's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaden Desch, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. The match was Desch's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Carson Muirbrook, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Big Piney has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-6 record this season. As for Rich, the victory (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 6-3.
Big Piney will be playing in front of their home fans against Kemmerer at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Rich, they will head out on the road to face off against Tabiona at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Tabiona is on a four-game streak of home wins, Rich a three-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court.
