Basketball Recap: Carter Hayward Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Grand Junction

Palisade won the last time they faced Grand Junction and things went their way on Tuesday too. The Palisade Bulldogs skirted past the Grand Junction Tigers 51-49. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.

Carter Hayward

Rebounds (Career)

02/11/25 @ Grand Junction	11
12/20/24 vs Palmer Ridge	9
12/06/24 vs Monarch	5
12/05/24 vs Pueblo Central	5
02/08/25 vs Durango	4

Palisade's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Carter Hayward, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Hayward a new career-high in boards. LJ Ballenger was another key player, putting up 11 points and five assists.

Grand Junction lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Andrew Henderson, who dropped a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Weirath, who posted 13 points.

Palisade's victory bumped their record up to 11-9. As for Grand Junction, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which has put a noticeable dent in their 9-10 record this season.

Palisade didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 51-33 loss against Fruita Monument on the 14th. As for Grand Junction, they have also already played their next contest, a 65-27 win against Grand Junction Central on the 14th.