Grand defeats Manti, San Juan

The Grand County High School boys basketball team improved to 7-2 in Region 15 play and 14-5 overall with a pair of region victories. The Red Devils defeated Manti 62-55 in Moab on Wednesday, Feb. 1, then defeated archrival San Juan 73-68 in Blanding on Friday, Feb. 3.

Against the Templars in the Devils’ Den, Grand outscored Manti 21-10 in the third quarter to pull ahead 51-42 after trailing 32-30 at halftime.

Junior Brayden Schultz scored 18 points for the Red Devils, while Alec Williams and Masen Ward each added 11. Senior Kenyon Birdwell had 7 points and 8 rebounds for Grand.

Two days later, Grand traveled to Blanding, where the Red Devils dominated the Broncos in the first half, building a 42-25 lead. San Juan chipped away in the second half, but their comeback ultimately fell 5 points short at 73-68.

Williams scored 16 points for the Red Devils, 12 of which came via 3-pointer. Schultz had 15 points, Birdwell had 13 points and sophomore Kevin Park added 12 points. The Red Devils took advantage of their opportunities at the free throw line, converting 16 of 19 attempts.

Grand’s 7-2 mark puts them in second place in the Region 15 standings going into the final week of the season. Grand is scheduled a pair of home games: a non-region contest versus Monticello on Thursday, Feb. 9, before the Region 15 finale on Friday, Feb. 10.

The Spartans lead the Region 15 standings with an 8-0 record. Their overall record is 18-1. However, if Emery loses to San Juan on Wednesday, Feb. 8, and Grand on Feb. 10, Grand and Emery would both have 8-2 records and split the region title, with seeding being determined via coin toss (ties for seeding when all teams are in the playoffs regardless of the outcome are determined by coin toss, and ties for seeding when the winner is in and the loser is out are determined via neutral-site game). San Juan, who owns the same 14-5 overall record as Grand, could also finish 8-2 in region play with a win versus Emery and a win in their finale at Manti on Friday, Feb. 10. The Red Devils and Broncos could also possibly both finish 7-3 in region play, in which case a coin toss would determine which team gets the No. 2 seed and which team gets the No. 3 seed.

The Red Devils defeated Monticello 66-60 on Dec. 6, 2016, and lost to Emery 61-50 on Jan. 20, 2017. They play again versus the Bucks on Thursday, Feb. 9, and versus the Spartans on Friday, Feb. 10. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Red Devils surge to No. 2 with one region contest remaining

When: Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.

What: Grand boys basketball versus Emery

When: Friday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m.

Where: Grand County High School gymnasium, 608 S. 400 East

Author: Tim Chappell

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