AZTEC – Durango flustered another opponent Saturday with its pressure defense.
That defense led to Saturday’s 33-29 win in the Rumble in the Jungle tournament championship game against host Aztec (5-9) at Lillywhite Gymnasium.
“We can play good defense, and it was good that we were able to maintain it over three games,” DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve got to be aggressive on defense. We’re trying to use our quickness and our length to our advantage.”
Durango swiped at the ball to force loose-ball turnovers up top, and it also disrupted cross passes in the paint for easy steals.
The Demons also had some key blocked shots in the low post.
“I love it. That’s the main thing we’re known for is our defense,” DHS guard Jael Larson said.
Aztec kept the game within one or two possessions by draining 3-points shots from the corners. But, after switching from using zone traps to man defense on the wing, Durango stalled Aztec’s timing on those perimeter shots. The Tigers in turn had to spend extra time scanning the floor for open looks.
“Going into man helped with that because we got to call the screens and switch people so that we could get our hands up,” Larson said.
Tayler Dossey, who had 13 points Saturday, was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Durango (7-6) has won five consecutive games and has allowed opponents an average of only 24.4 points per game during the streak.
DHS will host Aztec’s rival, Bloomfield, at 7 p.m. Tuesday before it will begin play in the 5A/4A Southwestern League at 5:30 p.m. Friday against Fruita Monument.
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