Coconino Drops First Game Of The Season In A Battle With Bradshaw Mountain

The Coconino Panthers dropped their first game of the season Friday with a 55-50 loss to the Bradshaw Mountain Bears. The Bears frustrated the Panthers throughout the game with tight defense on Coconino’s shooters and forced a number of turnovers. Carter John led the Bears with 20 points and Josue Lune added nine points in the win. Preston Olney led the Panthers with 17 points, 15 coming in the fourth quarter alone. Hayden Nez added 11 points in the loss for the Panthers, who will turn right around and play the Page Sand Devils at home Saturday afternoon. The Bears take over the lead in the 4A Grand Canyon Region with a 9-0 mark. Coconino falls to 11-1 overall and 8-1 in the region. The two teams will meet again next week at Bradshaw Mountain with the region title on the line.