Region leader Bear River defeated the Grantsville Cowboys boys basketball team 65-51 on Friday night in a game where the crowd was at times almost as intense as the players. There was fire on the court with both teams determined to stay on top.

The game was close for a while as the Cowboys employed a tenacious swarming defense to tie the game 16-16 early in the first quarter.

However, it seemed as if someone put a lid on Grantsville's basket, as the Bears outscored Grantsville 15-2 during the rest of the first half. That 13-point bulge was nearly all the winning margin. Grantsville nearly matched Bear River's production in the second half with only a point separation at 34-33. The Cowboys would fight their way back into contention during the second half, only to have the Bears regain the initiative and pull away.

"Bear River was hitting foul shots at the end," according to Grantsville coach Larry Sandberg. "We didn't convert at our end, and Bear River got away with the lead. The second quarter was our downfall."

Both teams had balanced scoring with many players getting points. Grantsville's top scorer was senior center Joey Logan at 13, followed closely by Alex Childs with 10 and Logan Paulich with 9. Kaleb Rupp, Trevor Lujan, Cody Colson and Jackson Kelley tallied 7, 6, 4, and 2 respectively. Two Bear River players, Jake Miller and Matt Weyland, tied for top-game honors, each getting 17. Colton Fronk and Wade Bronson both scored 8 points. Tyson Thompson, Justin Capener put in 6 and 5 points respectively. Reserve players Colton Nelson and Isaac Ericksen also got two points each for the victors.

The loss puts Grantsville's region record even at 4-4 with games remaining at Morgan on Wednesday and a last home game against Ben Lomond on Friday.

"We need to take care of the ball, and we'll have better shot selection," said Coach Sandberg. "If we can do that, we'll have a better chance to win."

Revenge will be sought by Morgan and Ben Lomond as Grantsville defeated both of them in close games during the third week of January. The game with Morgan could be for third in region as they are tied for third with only two games left. A third-place finish in region would earn Grantsville a better berth in the state tournament. The Cowboys began the season winning only one of its first nine games.

Grantsville shot only 29 percent from the field on Friday and was especially woeful from beyond the three-point arc hitting only two of 19 three-point attempts. The Cowboys matched their two-point shooting percentage from Friday night's game at Ogden at 40 percent, but instead of hitting 23 percent from the three-point arc, the Cowboys hit 11 percent.

There was little discrepancy in the number of foul shots taken and made in the Bear River game with both teams shooting 29 pitches. The Bears sank 21 and Grantsville 19.