Bayfield’s goal was to prolong the season as long as it could. Mission accomplished.
A thrilling run in the CHSAA Class 3A Boys Basketball State Championships came to an end Saturday in Golden with the Bayfield High School Wolverines completely exhausted from a two-week run toward history.
Down their star senior and fatigued from a massive comeback victory in overtime one day earlier, the Wolverines lost 79-55 to Intermountain League rival No. 7 Alamosa in the fifth-place game of the state tournament.
Not the way No. 28 Bayfield wanted to end it, but the final result of Saturday’s game paled in comparison to the team’s accomplishments leading up to the final day of the season.
“It was a great season. Sure, we wanted one more, especially with Alamosa being that game and it being for the consolation championship trophy and all that but, quite frankly, we didn’t have enough in the tank,” BHS head coach Jeff Lehnus said. “We used up so much energy Friday in that overtime thriller and compensating without a starting player.
“The guys got zapped, but we wouldn’t take away our win Friday and the experience of being here for anything.”
Alamosa had beat the Wolverines three previous times this season. The fourth meeting was no better for the Wolverines.
Too many turnovers robbed the Wolverines of chance to stay in the game. They gave the ball away 20 times.
Freshman Ryan Phelps, Friday night’s hero, led Bayfield (14-12) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Juniors Taed Heydinger and Zane Phelps joined him in double figures with 13 and 10, respectively.
“Alamosa played well. They were ranked seventh and our district champ for a reason,” Lehnus said of the Mean Moose. “We have our work cut out for us in the future to compete with them. It was not our day, it was their day. I can’t fault our effort, we couldn’t move our feet and play the way we are capable of playing. We can’t be upset; we gave everything.”
Bayfield’s sixth-place finish is the Wolverines’ best since they took third in 1986.
The Wolverines barely made the state tournament field, squeaking in with a third-place win in the Intermountain League tournament with a victory against Centauri. The oft-injured and ill Wolverines regrouped at the right time to make a special run to a regional championship with wins against No. 5 The Pinnacle and No. 12 Eaton in the first two rounds of the state tournament. It gave the Wolverines their first trip to the “Great 8” of the tournament since 1986.
A loss to No. 4 Colorado Academy in the quarterfinals didn’t deter the Wolverines, but it left them without Preston Hardy, the senior post player who is committed to Colorado Christian University. He broke his hand late in that game, and a close contest wound up a 16-point loss for the Wolverines.
But in the consolation semifinals, the Wolverines erased a 16-point third-quarter deficit to force overtime on a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ryan Phelps. Bayfield went on to claim a 55-51 overtime win against No. 9 Jefferson Academy for its second win against a private school in the tournament.
“The young men learned some really great lessons for their lives this season. The value of high school sports should be imparting lessons, but not every team gets that, even those who see success,” Lehnus said. “Our young men learned how to really come together, deal with adversity, focus on progress and learned how to play the game. They all played a pivotal role together as a team. They adopted our moniker of ‘Hard. Smart. Fun. Together.’ They showed a lot of heart this tournament.
“They showed Bayfield boys basketball can compete at the highest level, win a regional championship, beat private schools. And that was all after a long and frustrating regular season.”
Five seniors – and four of the team’s top five scorers – will graduate for BHS – Trevor Gabbard, Hardy, Dillon Hoselton, Conner Kennedy and Matthew Knickerbocker.
Both Ryan and Zane Phelps will return in the post, though, along with seven other contributors from this season’s team.
“I couldn’t be happier for the young men who leave and will continue on with their lives with the great lessons they’ve learned about never giving up and focusing on the right things,” Lehnus said. “This team did a great thing for our community in a joyful time and a unifying experience for our town. They brought a lot of people a sense of joy.”
Herald sports writer Kyle Grabowski contributed to this report
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
