By Brandon Walker
GARDINER – The Lone Peak High School varsity boys basketball team fell in their matchup with the Gardiner Bruins on Jan. 10, 61-32.
After making the winding trek down to Gardiner, Lone Peak got off to a sluggish start only mustering 5 points in the opening quarter to Gardiner’s 15.
The Big Horns fared much better in the second quarter as the Bruins only outscored them by 4 points, resulting in a 28-14 halftime deficit.
Despite trailing, LPHS head coach John Hannahs was impressed with his team’s defensive effort. “We held a high-scoring team to 28 points in the first half. We also missed some bunnies that would have put us down 4 or 6 at halftime instead of 14,” Hannahs said.
After a tough third quarter that saw LPHS score only 3 points as a team, they were able to remain composed and go on to put up nearly half of their points in the final frame alone.
“These guys are fighters, they play with an incredible amount of heart even when they are down big,” Hannahs said after the loss. “Some teams have a lot of trouble with that, these young men choose to keep their heads up and fight until the end. I am lucky to have a group of guys with that much heart.”
Senior guard Austin Samuels did his best to keep the Big Horns afloat as he contributed 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in the game. Other key contributors for Lone Peak were senior Frankie Starz and junior Michael Romney. Romney accumulated 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, while Starz poured in 8 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, had 3 assists, and 4 steals to cap off his night. With the defeat LPHS fell to 0-6 on the year.
Box Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Lone Peak 5 9 3 15 32
Gardiner 15 13 11 22 61
Lone Peak: Austin Samuels 10, Frankie Starz 8, Michael Romney 8, Nolan Schumacher 6
Gardiner: Luke Stermitz 16, Jackson Bredenberg 15, Elijah Byrd 9, Taylor Rose 6, Evan Guengrich 6, Preston Roberts 3, Colter Long 3, Luke Keiser 2
