After flying high against Tooele on Wednesday, Bear River came back down to earth. The Bears fell 80-70 to the Mountain Crest Mustangs on Friday. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Mustangs this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 50-44 back in December of 2025.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Mountain Crest to victory, but perhaps none more so than Easton Pugmire, who shot 73% from the field to rack up 27 points. Those 27 points gave Pugmire a new career-high. Jackson Branz was another key player, going 7-for-14 en route to 22 points.
Bear River has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-12 record this season. As for Mountain Crest, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 11-8.
Looking ahead, Bear River will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Deseret Peak at 7:00 p.m. The Bears will be up against the Golden Eagles' rather soft defense (which has allowed 67.06 points per contest), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Mountain Crest, they will head out on the road to challenge Green Canyon at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Mustangs' defense better be ready for this one: the Wolves have averaged an impressive 59.7 points per game this season.
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