Basketball Recap: Battle Mountain Find Success

Battle Mountain won the last time they faced Rifle, and Charlie Strauch did his part to make sure it happened again. The Battle Mountain Huskies secured a 73-68 W over the Rifle Bears on Tuesday thanks in part to Strauch, who went 13 of 15 on his way to 29 points and three steals. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 16.8 points per game.

The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Wansley, who posted four points along with five assists and three steals. He has been hot recently, having posted three or more steals the last three times he's played.

When it comes to explaining why Rifle lost, don't look at Eliezer Vega. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 boards. Alex Gonzalez was another key player, going 7 of 14 on his way to 22 points and five rebounds.

The win got Battle Mountain back to even at 2-2. As for Rifle, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.

Battle Mountain wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 74-43 loss against Middle Park on the 19th. As for Rifle, they will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Grand Junction Central at 7:00 p.m. on January 6, 2025. Rifle is facing Grand Junction Central at the right time seeing as Grand Junction Central is stuck on a six-game losing streak.