Basketball Recap: Kaden Pehrson's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Monticello over San Juan

Monticello lost against San Juan back in December of 2023 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Wednesday. The Monticello Buckaroo lost 68-44 to the San Juan Broncos. The Buckaroo were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-17.

Kaden Pehrson

Rebounds

01/10/25 vs Pinnacle	16
01/24/25 @ Whitehorse	13
12/20/24 @ Dove Creek	13
01/07/25 vs Dolores	12
12/05/24 vs West Grand	12
+ 14 more games

Monticello lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Kaden Pehrson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten boards. Pehrson has become a key player for Monticello: the team is 8-3 when he posts at least eight rebounds, but 3-5 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Kooper Nielson, who posted five points and six assists.

Even though they lost, Monticello smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in four consecutive matches.

San Juan's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cole Duke led the charge by going 8 of 12 to rack up 21 points. Duke is also on a roll when it comes to three-point shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 40% in the last three games he's played. Tripp Palmer was another key player, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten boards.

Monticello's defeat was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 11-8. As for San Juan, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-11.

Looking ahead, Monticello will be playing at home against Monument Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for San Juan, they are taking a road trip to face off against Grand County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Grand County knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past six games -- so hopefully San Juan likes a good challenge.