After a string of three wins, the Mountain Range Mustangs's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell 82-71 to Monarch. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Despite the defeat, Mountain Range saw an underclassman step up: Preston Brunton scored 25 points. Brunton hasn't dropped below 15points for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Quincy Helsel, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Mountain Range were working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Monarch only posted two assists.
Monarch's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Evan Trujillo led the charge by scoring 23 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Trujillo has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Carlson, who scored 19 points along with four steals.
Mountain Range's loss dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Monarch, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Mountain Range will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Fairview at 6:30 p.m. on January 23rd. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Colorado (Fairview is ranked 120th, while Mountain Range is ranked 105th). As for Monarch, they will head out on the road to square off against Fort Collins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Fort Collins knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight contests -- so hopefully Monarch likes a good challenge.
