If the Palisade Bulldogs were riding high off their 77-51 takedown of the Rifle Bears last Saturday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Palisade ended up on the wrong side of a rough 53-33 walloping at the hands of Montrose on Friday. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Palisade has scored all season.
Palisade's loss came despite strong showings from Hunter Howard and Layne Ruppelius. Howard scored ten points along with five rebounds, while Ruppelius scored eight points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Montrose to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kaleb Ferguson, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was Brekin Hutto, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Palisade's loss was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 6-7. As for Montrose, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.
Palisade won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Grand Junction at 1:30 p.m. on January 13th. Grand Junction and Palisade are at an even 4-4 over their past eight head-to-heads. As for Montrose, they will be playing at home against Glenwood Springs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Glenwood Springs is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.
