The Grand Junction Tigers had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 42.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They came out on top against Palisade by a score of 54-41. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Grand Junction also won the last time the pair played back in December of 2023.
Will Applegate was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 22 points and ten rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Noah Schmalz was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Despite the loss, Palisade saw an underclassman step up: Hunter Howard scored 14 points along with seven steals and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Fred Moore, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds.
Grand Junction is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. As for Palisade, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-8.
Grand Junction will head out on the road to take on Eagle Valley at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Eagle Valley's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four contests. As for Palisade, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Fruita Monument at 7:30 p.m. Fruita Monument will be coming into the game with an undefeated record on the line.
