The Ignacio High School girls basketball team got an ideal early-season Class 2A matchup against No. 2 Limon on Saturday afternoon at the Limon Invitational, but the Bobcats could not get over the hump and fell 45-35.
Limon (2-0) led the way the entire game and forced a young Bobcats squad (1-1) to commit 17 turnovers. Despite the loss, head coach Justa Whitt was impressed.
“We were able to cut it to eight points twice, but we just couldn’t get past that hump,” Whitt said. “I thought the girls played fantastic, and we lost a few girls along the way when (Larissa) Gallegos went out with a shoulder injury in the first three or four minutes of the game, and then Charlize (Valdez) rolled her ankle later on. But I can’t ask for more than that and am so proud of them. Limon was a big team, and we surprised them with our tenacity and ability to never quit.”
The Bobcats could not overcome 17 turnovers and an off-night at the foul line, where they went 6-of-17.
Valdez led the way for the Bobcats with 13 points while Makayla Howell finished with 11.
“Regardless of the loss, starting out the season this way was what the girls needed and will only give them confidence going forward,” Whitt said. “We didn’t give in to the No. 2 team in the state, and it’s a huge confidence booster for them.”
The Durango High School girls basketball team picked up its first win of the season in an emphatic 69-19 victory against Navajo Pine in the final day of the Shiprock’s Jerry Richardson Memorial Tournament.
“It was a complete game, everyone scored and a great day for us offensively,” DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “Really, the main thing was that the kids are so coachable. It can be tough to bounce back after a start like we’ve had, but they responded. They slowed down the offense, and when the ball got in our hands, we were smart with it and it and were able to get easy buckets through a fluid offense. I thought Maddy (McManus) got back to how she was playing for us last year, and it was really good to see her get back to that.”
The Demons (1-2) controlled the flow of the game throughout all four quarters and led 41-13 at halftime.
Tayler Dossey led DHS with 12 points, while Jael Larson finished with 11 and Danielle Lee and McManus finished with eight points. Dossey’s performance over thee three-day tournament landed her on the all-tournament team.
“They gained a lot of experience this week, and we’ve got work to do going forward, but there were a lot of positives to take,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re hoping to do a lot more of what we did today, which was score the basketball and it’s the best way we play.”
The Demons will host Farmington on Dec. 11.
Boys Basketball
Boys BasketballThe Durango High School boys basketball team fell in the championship game of the Chieftain Invitational in Shiprock on Saturday night, as the Demons could not overcome 28 turnovers in a 41-33 loss to Newcomb.
“We didn’t set ourselves up to win with that many turnovers,” said Durango head coach Alan Batiste. “We never established a post presence and finished with two points in the paint despite having the size advantage. It was a close game despite all of that, and we just couldn’t get anything going offensively.”
After they trailed 21-19 at halftime, the Demons (2-1) scored only three points in the third quarter.
“We started off poor and kept turning over the ball, and what comes with that is a lot of defense, and it was frustrating to see after we fought back to get into the game down 10 in the first half,” Batiste said. “But it’s only the third game of the year, and we’re still figuring out each other like a lot of other teams who are in the same boat as us.”
Clay Seibel led the way for the Demons with 15 points, Cullen Robinette made the all-tournament team.
“Overall, to be 2-1 after the first weekend, we still feel okay,” Batiste said. “We’ll get better and we just have to work on some things before next week.”
The defending Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 3A state champion Bayfield Wolverines got back to winning ways after a season-opening loss Friday night to Kent Denver. The Wolverines handled The Pinnacle Charter School 60-25 at the Herman Schayes Invitational on Saturday in Denver.
“We got more players involved today, and that helped us,” Chandler said. “I thought our ball movement was a lot better today, and we were able to move the ball from one side to the other, while yesterday we were stagnant and did the opposite.”
Keegan Owens was Bayfield’s leading scorer with 14 points, while fellow senior Turner Kennedy finished with 12 and Ethan Morris contributed eight.
“For us to split up on the Front Range, it’s big,” Chandler said. “To get a weekend split anytime you’re on the road is huge. From here, we just have to get better each game, and hopefully we can space the floor like we did and continue to get better on the offensive end. As long as we keep getting better, that’s all we can do.”
No. 4 Limon (2-0) used a big third quarter to pull away late from Ignacio, 63-46.
“We played these guys for the regional championship last season, and none of the guys that played tonight were on the floor against them last year, and it was basically an entire new team for us,” Valdez said. “That being said, they did pretty good considering who we had out there on the court, and we stuck with them for a half to three quarters tonight. I really loved our effort against the number four team in the state and hopefully we can build upon this.”
Bryce Finn led the way for Ignacio (1-1) with 18 points with four 3-pointers.
The Bobcats will have their home opener against Dolores at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
bploen@durangoherald.com
