After flying high against the Shoshoni Wranglers back in December of 2023, the Big Piney Punchers came back down to earth. Big Piney lost to Rich on the road by a decisive 65-48 margin on Saturday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Big Piney came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 31st in Wyoming, while Rich is ranked 85th in Utah).
Rich's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaden Desch, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. The match was Desch's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Carson Muirbrook, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Big Piney has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-6 record this season. As for Rich, the victory (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 6-3.
Big Piney will be playing in front of their home fans against Kemmerer at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Rich, they will head out on the road to face off against Tabiona at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Tabiona is on a four-game streak of home wins, Rich a three-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court.
