The Star Valley Braves defeated the  Bear Lake Bears, 52-48 in yet another classic pairing between the two communities that dates back more than 90 years.

The Braves fell behind with a lackluster first quarter but went on a 16-5 run in the second quarter to lead by six at halftime.

The Bears responded with a 7-0 run immediately out of the locker room to take the lead but the Braves took back the advantage with a modest 5-0 run.  The two teams swapped the lead on five occasions in the second half but the Braves led for the majority of the game.

Star Valley built a six-point lead with under three minutes remaining and had to overcome some shaky clock-management from the home-town Bears as the seconds were frequently wrong.

David Cranford led the winning effort with 11 points, while Brandon Taylor scored ten.  James Bowers scored nine points while Tyson Woodford chipped in eight of his own.  Josh Hunsaker was dominant defensively in the fourth quarter, forcing the Bears out of the paint as he matched his season-high with six blocked shots.

The Braves play the Cheyenne Central Indians on Thursday as part of the Flaming Gorge Classic next week.

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