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GRANTSVILLE — Region 11 rivals clashed Friday night as Stansbury traveled to Grantsville to take on the Cowboys.
Stansbury was trying to get its first win in three weeks, and the Cowboys were looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Stansbury Stallions got the better of their rivals, using 17 points from Tom Griffith and tough, physical play to beat the Cowboys 59-46.
Stone Tia chipped in 12 for Stansbury, while Devin Adams scored a career-high 23 points for Grantsville.
"It's been a long time coming for us," said Griffith. "We've got a great group of guys, and we can prove that we're the best in this county."
Grantsville got off to an 8-6 lead at the end of one quarter, after Devin Adams hit a 3-pointer that appeared to be after the buzzer. The basket counted though, and the Cowboys took the slight lead into the second.
Stansbury picked things up defensively at that point, playing tough to grab a 18-12 lead heading into halftime.
In the third, the Stallions extended their edge to 35-24, using a great quarter from Griffith after Stansbury's leading scorer, Ryan Robbins, had to leave the game for a while with four fouls. Griffith hit on seven straight points in a two-minute span, helping give the Stallions a 35-24 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
"I was just able to get open," said Griffith. "They had a guy on me I knew I could get by no problem, and my guys were setting me up with good passes and good screens."
Devin Adams scored 16 of his 23 in the fourth quarter, and tried to bring the Cowboys back single-handedly. He was hitting on everything, and if it wouldn't have been for the large deficit they faced, Adams and the Cowboys could've completed the comeback.
"We're lucky (Adams) didn't get going earlier or we could've been in some trouble," said Stansbury coach Ryan Harris. "He can hit the 3; he can go inside; he's a playmaker."
In what has seemed to be a common theme for Stansbury, Friday's game was very physical. As expected in a rivalry game, there were a few encounters that were far from peaceful, and Stansbury guard Robbins seemed to get the brunt of it.
"It was definitely getting rough," said Robbins. "The hardest part about tonight was that I didn't feel like I was getting calls, and it was really frustrating."
Tia has a different view of the rivalry.
"These games are the most fun to play in," said Tia. "It's physical and crazy on the court, but we're all good off the court."
With the win, the Stallions move to 6-11 on the season and will host Region 11's top team, Morgan, next Wednesday. Grantsville drops to 7-10 and will play Tooele next Wednesday.
CJ Pronk is a Deseret Digital Media intern and a senior at Stansbury High School. Follow CJ on Twitter @BigCeeJ3113
