It took a little time for Katrina Chandler and the Durango High School girls basketball team to warm up against Ignacio High School, but the Demons picked up the tempo and held on for a big win.
Among a full house at Whalen Gymnasium on the campus of Fort Lewis College, the Demons applied the necessary pressure in the second half, beating the Bobcats in a non-league game 52-43.
The Class 4A Demons (7-2) were unable to convert baskets early, and the Class 2A Bobcats (6-3, 3-0 Class 2A/1A San Juan Basin League) hung around in the first half and outscored the Demons 6-5 in the second quarter to head into halftime down only two points.
Chandler and fellow junior Stephanie Bayse didn’t leave any room for an Ignacio upset, as both girls propelled Durango to a dominating lead in the third quarter. Chandler scored 13 points and Bayse added 12 in the second half to lead the Demons to the victory.
Chandler finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists, while Bayse finished with 14 points while going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
“Stephanie Bayse was the one who decided enough was enough; she went off,” Durango High School head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said.
Bayse scored the Demons’ first eight points coming out of halftime. That spark was what Durango needed most to hold back Ignacio
“We didn’t make any X’s and O’s adjustments, it was more mentality adjustments,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s more of a style of play that we need to address because we didn’t do it in the first half. I felt like we were on our heels, we were settling and weren’t looking to attack. I don’t know if there was nerves for the kids or what. But to the credit of the kids, they came out and played much better in the second half.”
According to Chandler, Ignacio got the Demons out of their rhythm and caused Durango’s slow start. She said Durango is a rhythm-based team and Ignacio tried to speed up the game to cause Durango mistakes. Both teams finished the game with 12 turnovers.
“We tried to slow it down and get in the open gaps and attack the basket a lot more and get some open shots,” said Chandler, daughter of Klint and Rebecca Chandler.
One big difference in the end was the rebounding battle. Durango won 19-14. Taylor Edwards grabbed six rebounds, but most of them came in the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats didn’t make it easy on themselves by missing layups. Coming out of halftime down 16-14, Ignacio missed three layups in a row only to watch Durango score six unanswered points.
“We were deflated after that, and we had to try to regroup,” Ignacio head coach Shane Seibel said. “A little frustration came out. We were able to withstand that a little and find our bearings, but (Durango) played aggressive and mixed it up in their zone.”
Durango switched on and off with a full-court pressure against Ignacio, which gave the Bobcats trouble down the stretch.
The Bobcats were able to get to the free-throw line and hit at 72 percent.
For Ignacio, Hilda Garcia finished with 12 points and three blocks. She pushed the momentum most of the game and gave Durango problems with her size. Miriam Fernandez-Lopez came off the bench for the Bobcats and had nine points, and Avionne Gomez finished with 10 points while going 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.
“We’re going to take away a lot from this game like confidence,” said Garcia, daughter of Elco Garcia and Naomi Russell. “This was a big environment and a big crowd, which is totally different from what we usually play in. We will improve to communicate on defense.”
The Durango Demons will travel to Grand Junction to open 4A/5A Southwestern League play on Friday. The Ignacio Bobcats will take on Dove Creek on Friday at Ignacio High School.
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
