Triplett sitting 5th at PBR World Finals

LAS VEGAS — Columbia Falls’ Matt Triplett is making a name for himself in his debut at the Professional Bull Riders World Finals, riding his third bull in four attempts on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center to move near the top of the standings at the event and advance to today’s final round.

Triplett rode Hot & Juicy, a bull that hasn’t been ridden in more than two years, to a score of 88.25, the fourth best of the round. Triplett is now fifth in average after Round 4 with 257.25 points.

Second place rider L.J. Jenkins, who currently has 264.25 points, will not ride in the finals after sustaining a groin injury in Round 3.

Missoula native Jory Markiss was bucked a split second before earning a score, getting knocked off Spotted Demon after 7.29 seconds. He finished 20th in average with 86.75 points.

J.B. Mauney leads the event average as the only rider to successfully complete all four of his rides so far. Mauney took a 471-point lead in the world standings after two-time defending world champion Silvano Alves was called for a slap 6.99 seconds into his ride on Saturday.

The final round will begin today at 12:30 p.m. and be televised on CBS Sports Network.