Having led Tuesday’s main event for all but the last 45 seconds of the first quarter, the Bayfield girls varsity basketball team appeared ready for a four-frame battle after dismissing the hosting 4A Durango JV’s initial response.
Trailing 8-7 through eight minutes, after DHS freshman Mariah Maestas drilled a late three-pointer, the win-hungry Lady Wolverines managed to rebuild themselves a 13-10 advantage – resulting from two free throws by sophomore Lily Lewin and then a clever left-handed baby hook by right-handed senior post Abby Tate – with 6:00 left before halftime. But after Tate was hit with her third personal foul, the Lady Demons were practically gifted 4:09 in which to rally.
And inside the Demon Dome, rally they did.
Not long after Tate was pulled from play, Durango freshman Eva Stewart sank a 10-foot baseline jumper to regain DHS the upper hand at 14-13. And as the nonleague contest played out, BHS would never lead again. Striking from distance again inside the last minute, Maestas banked in a triple with 0:43 left, increasing DHS’ advantage to 17-13. Freshman teammate Tyler Trujillo ended the second quarter draining a straightaway three with about 0:03 left on the clock.
But long-range attacks weren’t what Trujillo had in mind. Especially with the guests’ best paint protector in foul trouble.
Repeatedly driving full-speed into the lane, Trujillo began the third quarter registering six of DHS’ eight unanswered points, pressing BHS head coach Lauren Moran into taking a timeout with 4:50 left and Durango ahead 30-13. But the Lady Demons were too far gone to be caught.
Maestas would again use the backboard to her advantage in tallying her third trey, before Tate at long last interrupted DHS’ second/third-quarter 25-0 run by swishing two free throws with 3:28 remaining. Both Tate and freshman Renae Foutz would each make a conventional two-pointer before the third quarter expired, while Durango junior Sarah Phelps made one of two charity tosses to send the game into its final frame with the Lady Demons ahead, 36-19.
With her motor still perfectly in tune, Trujillo logged six more of her game-high 18 points while freshman Lilly Fitzpatrick contributed five of her six to help secure DHS a 49-25 victory. Having done most of her damage before intermission, Maestas finished with 17 points and Stewart four. Junior Claire Choate chipped in two points, but in being slowed by four fouls, starting freshman post Ellie White ended up with just a first-quarter free throw.
Tate paced Bayfield (1-13, 0-3 3A Intermountain) with 14 points, and Foutz continued her first-year emergence totaling five. Hampered by four fouls, senior guard Jordan Martindale finished with as many points. It was clear the Lady Wolverines were missing gears with both junior Alaysia Kremer (injured in the previous evening’s loss to Alamosa) and sophomore Michelle Kirk (illness) unavailable.
BHS will resume IML play Friday at home versus Pagosa Springs (9-3, 2-2). The next day’s trip to Alamosa is still on, but due to an officials shortage has been pushed back to a 5:30 p.m. start – after JV action tips off at 4.
In 2A/1A San Juan Basin League varsity play Tuesday evening, Ignacio shockingly lost a 31-13 halftime lead and fell 50-46 at Mancos, evening the 2A-level SJBLers’ season series at one win apiece.
With senior forward/guard Avaleena Nanaeto racking up 13 of her team-high 16 points during IHS’ second-quarter explosion, in which she, junior Laci Brunson, freshman Marissa Olguin and sophomore Darlyn Mendoza-Lechuga each drained one three-pointer, the Lady Bobcats (4-6, 1-2 SJBL, 1-1 2A SJBL) had no problem erasing MHS’ slim 8-5 first-quarter lead.
Having logged eight of the Lady Jays’ first-half points, senior forward Justina Bayles’ nine third-quarter points sparked the locals’ comeback as Mancos (6-5, 1-2, 1-1) cut Ignacio’s advantage down to 37-29 with only eight regulation minutes left.
Blanked offensively during the first half, senior guard and co-captain Rhiley Montoya then took the reins with nine fourth-quarter points in finishing with 12, while Bayles contributed the last five of her game-best 22. Senior post Makayla Wayman also came up big in crunchtime, booking four of her six points. Sophomore guard Quincy Montoya canned a key three to give her seven second-half points and eight total.
In defeat, Brunson and junior post Harmony Reynolds each scored 10 points, but neither Olguin nor Mendoza-Lechuga managed even so much as a free throw attempt after intermission. IHS ended up 7-of-12 from the foul line; MHS went 9-of-23.
Head-to-head against MHS, the Lady ’Cats still own a plus-11 point differential.
Ignacio is next scheduled to host 2A SJBLers Telluride (0-9, 0-1, 0-0) on Wednesday.
Mancos will next welcome Nucla (7-7, 1-1, 0-1 1A SJBL) on Thursday.
