The Rifle Bears's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fourth straight loss. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 77-51 walloping at the hands of Palisade. Rifle has struggled against Palisade recently, as their matchup on Saturday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
When it comes to explaining why Rifle lost, one person who can't be blamed is Logan Gross. Despite the final result, he scored 18 points. Another player making a difference was Sterling Cook, who scored 11 points.
Palisade found their leader in underclassman Hunter Howard, who scored 24 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Howard has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of LJ Ballenger, who scored 11 points.
Rifle's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Palisade, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Rifle will take on Basalt at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Basalt is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 60.8 points per game. As for Palisade, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Montrose at 7:30 p.m. Montrose is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt want to keep things rolling.
