IGNACIO
It took a while to get warmed up, but the Ignacio High School boys basketball team found its groove just in time to pull out a narrow victory over the visiting Pagosa Springs Pirates.
The Pirates led for nearly the entire game and made it look like they were going to make the Bobcats open the season in the loss column, but Ignacio fought through the fire to win 48-41 against a school a Class 3A opponent.
It wasn’t until the 2:14 mark in the fourth quarter when Tucker Ward went coast-to-coast off a rebound for a layup to give Ignacio its first lead of the game at 42-41. Class 2A Ignacio then went on a 6-0 run to finish the game.
“That’s a good team that we played,” Ignacio head coach Chris Valdez said. “They are bigger and deeper than we are. I thought we did good in most aspects. We still have a lot of work to do if we want to be champions.”
Ward finished the game with eight points and four clutch free throws to clinch the win for the Bobcats. Ignacio’s leading scorer was Wyatt Hayes, who finished the game with a well-rounded 16 points and four assists. Anthony Manzanares also had a well-rounded night with 12 points and four steals, and he went 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
Pagosa Springs’ leading scorer was Isaiah Griego, who finished with 18 points and three rebounds. Griego also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
The bigs of the game battled down low all night, as Ignacio’s Nicholas Herrera grabbed five total rebounds on his way to six points. Pagosa Springs’ center Mike Kuhl gave Ignacio trouble. He only ended up with five points, but all five points came in the fourth quarter.
Pagosa Springs opened the game on fire, pushing the lead in the first quarter to 19-9. At halftime, Ignacio narrowed the lead to 23-21, but it wasn’t until the end of the fourth quarter that Valdez said his team found the momentum it needed to win.
“Our guards can handle down the stretch,” Valdez said. “(Pagosa Springs’) guards had more problems with the ball and started turning it over.”
The Pirates became sloppy near the end of the game and finished with 10 turnovers to Ignacio’s five.
Valdez also contributed the opening-night jitters and easy missed shots to Ignacio’s slow start.
“It was us missing easy shots,” he said. “We took a lot of bad shots. Our heads have to be in rhythm.”
Ignacio is back in action at the Mountain Top Classic at home Dec. 4 against Glenwood Springs.
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
