Mountain Crest turns over the game

HYRUM – In the last game before the Christmas break it was a tale of two halves for the Mustangs as they struggled to hold on to the ball in the second half on the way to a lopsided 50-34 loss to Wasatch. Sixteen turnovers in the second half let the Wasps blow the lead open to as big as 20 as they cruised to their second straight win on the season.

Mountain Crest played well in the Indian Classic Tournament in Preston despite their 1-2 finish and played Wastach close in the first half, trailing 18-15. The Mustangs scored only four points in the third quarter as nine turnovers led to a 17-4 run for the Wasps. Mountain Crest turned it over seven more times in an even 15-15 final quarter, but the big third quarter was too much to overcome.

Leading Wasp scorer Will Harris came in averaging almost 18 points per game, but was held to only 7 at half. Harris finished with 20 and went 7-8 from the free throw line, putting 8 in to close out the game. Ben Sanders also gave coach Ballstaedt balance down low with 10 points of his own.

Leading Mustang scorer Marshall Nethercott scored four points in the first quarter but didn’t score in the second quarter. Nethercott finished with 18 but for the fourth game in a row was held in check for the first half. Only five players scored for Mountain Crest and Connor Willey was the only other player with more than 3, finishing with 7 points.

Coach Kevin Anderson’s squad only lead twice at 4-2 and 7-4 as they struggled to protect the ball and find consistent offense. The Mustangs had 9 turnovers at half and finished with 25 for the game. Wastach committed six fouls in the third quarter but the Mustangs couldn’t take advantage of the bonus, only shooting four free throws in the second half.

Mountain Crest heads in to the Christmas break 1-7 on the season. The Mustangs will have three straight games on the road when the New Year rolls over: at Hunter, at Box Elder and starting on the road against Logan to start region play.

Green Canyon plays one more game this week and Logan heads to St. George for a tournament and plays five more games before 2020. The current Region 11 standings are:

  • Bear River (6-1)
  • Sky View (6-2)
  • Green Canyon (4-3)
  • Ridgeline (2-4)
  • Logan (1-5)
  • Mountain Crest (1-7)

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