Ashland junior guard Walker Shibley-Styer had the best game of his career scoring 28 points with Dominic Meads adding 8 points in Ashland’s 47-42 victory against the Hidden Valley Mustangs Tuesday night.

After pulling ahead early, the Grizzlies squandered a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter as Hidden Valley charged back to trail by only two points at halftime.

Heading the charge for the Mustangs was Mike Hults. The senior guard topped the Mustangs in scoring with 13 points and controlled the offense all night. Also chipping in for Hidden Valley were Dylan May and Chance Gilbert with 7 points each, Luke Connelly with 6, and Doug Elkins with 5.

As the game entered its final minute the Grizzlies held a small lead. A key reason the Mustangs comeback attempt was cut short was a pair of Hidden Valley turnovers within the final thirty seconds. First Hults, who had a great game up to that point, overthrew an outlet pass on a fastbreak to Elkins. The final nail in the coffin occurred when a pass by guard Tyler Campbell went wide of Connely.

The Mustangs (2-1) next head to California to play in the Mt. Shasta Tournament.

A key storyline to watch for Ashland (2-1) will be the play of senior Collin Malcolm. After leading the Grizzlies in scoring entering the game at 15 points per game, Malcolm only managed 4 points. Next up for the Grizzlies is the Crater Basketball Invitational. Game one for the Grizzlies is tonight, December 11, against Cascade Christian.