Fresh out of a big game against a Class 3A power, the Durango Demons are set for a unique showdown with an up-and-coming Class 2A squad.
The Durango High School girls basketball team (7-1) suffered its first loss of the season Tuesday at home against the Pagosa Springs Pirates (6-0). With little turnaround time, the Demons only had time to look ahead to Thursday’s game against another regional rival, the Ignacio Bobcats (4-2), in a game played on the neutral court of Whalen Gymnasium on the Fort Lewis College campus.
“It’s gonna be a great experience. Ignacio is a good team, and we’re gonna have to forget this one and get ready for our game Thursday night,” DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said after the team’s 42-28 loss Tuesday. “It will be another intense basketball game. Regional rivalries, the intensity level does pick up because I think a lot of the kids know each other.”
The two schools’ varsity programs have not played since Jan. 18, 2007, a 58-43 win for the Demons on the Bobcats’ home floor.
This year’s game originally was scheduled for Ignacio to play the Durango junior varsity squad, but DHS athletic director David Preszler did some adjusting of the schedule to allow the Demons’ varsity players the chance to play at Whalen Gymnasium.
“It will be fun playing up in Whalen and just having a good crowd,” said DHS senior and leading scorer Katie Wiegert, daughter of Coby and Jill Wiegert. “The (boys team) will be up there, so I think it will be fun all around, and it will be a good game with Ignacio.”
Wiegert has scored an average of 12.6 points per game while hauling in 2.3 rebounds. Sophomore guard Katrina Chandler has been an all-around force, averaging 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
The Demons’ key to success this season has been it’s defensive intensity, which they’ll use to try and slow Ignacio freshman Hilda Garcia, who has averaged 13.8 points per game. Senior Sky Cotton also has been a scoring threat for the Bobcats at 9.2 points per game, with junior Ellie Seibel chipping in seven.
Along with facing an improved Bobcats team comes the experience of playing in front of the Bobcats’ faithful, who will be in full force at Whalen Gymnasium to cheer on the boys and girls teams.
“Ignacio always brings a lot of people to their basketball games, so it will be a good environment,” Fitzpatrick said. “It will be a great venue for the kids to be able to play up there.”
As far as falling into any slumps after a 7-0 start, Wiegert is confident the team will put the loss to Pagosa Springs behind them.
“It was good timing. The break got us, so it’s a good loss for us, I guess. It was a reality check, for sure,” she said.
HHH
For IHS, the game may be a little more than a game.
It’s a chance to play on a court that many of them have grown up watching college basketball.
A chance to take one step closer to a dream of playing at the next level and try it on to wear around the store, a little.
“Now that they have a hometown hero in (FLC senior center) Alex (Herrera), it means a lot to them to be on the court and visualize playing on that next level,” IHS head coach Shane Seibel said. It’s every kid’s dream that picks up a ball to play college ball, and that puts them one step closer to feel what it’s like to play at that next level.”
The Bobcats have won four consecutive games heading into the showdown with DHS but understand the enormity of the task at hand.
They’ll use it as a measuring stick for progress.
“It’s huge for our girls to play somebody with that physicality, with that type of speed. It will get us better at identifying not only our strengths but identifying our weaknesses,” Seibel said. “We’re going to have to play the best game we’ve played all year. We’re going to have to play the best team defense we’ve ever played at this point to be competitive with Durango. Quite frankly, all our girls gotta be on, then let the chips fall where they may.”
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
