Basketball Recap: Dylan Donley's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Bear River over Center

Bear River was the 60-51 winner over Center when they last played one another back in January of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Bear River Bruins took a 63-53 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Center Cougars on Friday. The Bruins have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Bear River lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Dylan Donley, who posted 29 points. Donley has been hot for a while, having posted 15 or more points the last 11 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Jeffers, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 18 rebounds.

Leading Center to victory were Andy McLear and Tima Makovey. McLear had 25 points and five assists, while Makovey earned 16 points and four steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which McLear has scored at least a third of Center's points. Another player making a difference was Gabriel Nesmith, who put up seven points and eight rebounds.

Bear River's defeat dropped their record down to 9-7. As for Center, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-8.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Bear River will venture away from home to take on Mira Loma at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Bear River is facing Mira Loma at the right time seeing as Mira Loma is stuck on a six-game losing streak. As for Center, they will head out on the road to face off against Marysville at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Marysville's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three contests.