By Brandon Walker
SHERIDAN – The Lone Peak High School varsity boys basketball team secured their first win of the season on Jan. 18, capping off a four-game junior varsity and varsity sweep by LPHS over the Sheridan Panthers, 42-35. Senior guard Frankie Starz led the Big Horns with 19 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and hauled in nine rebounds in the victory.
Starz and Lone Peak led from the tip to the final whistle as the Big Horns outscored the Panthers in each quarter en route to seizing their elusive first ‘W’ of the season.
Big Horn head coach John Hannahs described how it felt for his team to finally be on the winning end at the final buzzer. “It means a lot, and that team didn’t give us anything, we had to earn it. They kept it close all game and the boys had to dig deep to keep their lead. It wasn’t our best performance, but we got the job done,” he said after the game.
LPHS doubled up Sheridan’s fast break points, 12-6, won the rebounding battle by six, but it was free throws that were most crucial for the Big Horns to best the Panthers. Lone Peak attempted 30 shots from the stripe compared to Sheridan’s 14.
LPHS capitalized by knocking down 17 of those attempts, nine more than Sheridan, including a 10-for-14 effort from the line by junior Michael Romney. The Big Horn guard finished with 13 points and nine rebounds on the night. Lone Peak senior Nick Brester provided another gritty performance with eight rebounds, a steal, and three points to help his squad prevail over the Panthers.
Sheridan received strong showings from Kaiden Batzler and Cade McFarland. Batzler scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds, while McFarland finished with a double-double consisting of 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Panthers.
The Big Horns are now 1-9 on the season. Coach Hannahs is hopeful the win will continue to fuel his team’s strong play of late: “I hope so, our goal is to make improvements each week, and I believe that we are doing that. We still have something to prove and we are looking to do that in the second half of the season. We know all slates are wiped clean for the district tournament and you never know what can happen.”
Box Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Lone Peak 11 12 5 14 42
Sheridan 8 10 4 13 35
Lone Peak: Frankie Starz 19, Michael Romney 13, Austin Samuels 4, Nick Brester 3, Bennett Miller 3
Sheridan: Kaiden Batzler 15, Cade McFarland 11, Kole Hill 4, Coleman Gilman 2, Jason Chisolm 2, Harrison VanHouten 1
