The Durango High School boys basketball team hosted Glenwood Springs in its first home playoff game since 2016 on Thursday. The game was a grind with both teams making runs, but Durango found its groove in the second half to finish on top 59-54.
“It was good to host a game and it was good to get a home win for the home crowd and the Durango community,” said DHS head coach Alan Batiste. “Overall, it was a good team effort; we knew it would be a grind-out game.”
“It’s crazy,” said senior Anthony Flint. “I’ve been playing varsity on this court for four years, but it was surreal to play in my first home playoff game.”
Glenwood Springs started the game strong, knocking down three 3-pointers to take an early 11-4 lead. Durango, however, fought back to go into the second trailing 15-13. Big men Jacob Nuebert scored on a putback, and Walter Stauffer scored in the paint. Flint then sank a shot, and Nuebert added two free throws.
“They started out hot, but we just had to weather the storm,” Flint said. “We knew when we got it inside, they couldn’t stop Walt and Jacob.” And when the big men started scoring in the paint, it also opened up the game for Durango’s guards.
Glenwood hit two more threes in the second and started the quarter with a 9-2 run to go up, 24-15.
Durango answered with a 7-0 run of its own. Jasper Zastrocky made a bucket, Dylan Bettin banked in a 3-pointer, and Flint scored after grabbing his own offensive rebound.
Glenwood scored the last field of the half and took a 26-22 lead into the break.
“They came out hot from 3-land; we just had to get our feet wet.” Batiste said, adding that Glenwood’s early lead was more because of Durango’s defensive play than its offense.
Durango took its first lead in the third quarter, starting the half with eight consecutive points in the paint from Nuebert and Stauffer. An alley-oop layup from Flint to Stauffer put DHS ahead 30-26. Glenwood scored three with a shot and free throw, but Flint answered with a three from deep. The teams continued trading buckets, with Flint taking a steal coast to coast for a layup and Landon Roberts sinking a reverse layup, then Glenwood hitting a field goal and a three to go into the fourth only trailing Durango 43-40.
DHS, however, took its biggest lead of the game in the fourth, 57-46, with 1:07 left in the game. Luke Wesley made a pair of shots while Flint, Nuebert and Staffer continued scoring as well. Glenwood hit two late 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to catch Durango.
The win was Durango’s fifth in its last six game, improving the team’s record to 12-12 and keeping its season alive.
“I think we really band together, on and off the court,” Flint said about the team’s success. “That really helps us; it’s that next-man-up mentality.”
Flint led DHS with 18 points. Stauffer scored 16, Nuebert scored 12, and five other Demons scored at least two points.
“The boys did it as a unit; now we’re ready to move to the next one,” Batiste said.
The Demons will travel to No. 4 Montrose for its second-round game at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Montrose, and the other top 16 seeds, received a first-round bye.
“We’re familiar with them. It’s nice to play teams in the play a team in the playoffs that you know what to expect from,” Flint said. “We just have to put two halves together.”
The game will feature the only two teams from the 4A/5A Southwestern League that are still alive. No. 17 Grand Junction got upset by No. 48 Rifle in the first round, 53-50.
No. 39 Grand Junction Central also lost in the first round to No. 26 Palisade, 49-32.
In Class 5A, Fruita Monument lost its first-round game to Overland, 66-48.
The Ignacio boys basketball team was also in action Thursday, playing Ridgway in the 2A District 3 quarterfinals. The No. 2 Bobcats rolled to a 54-29 win and will next play No 6 Olathe in the semifinals Friday. Olathe upset No. 3 Cedaredge 61-57 on Tuesday. No. 1 Mancos will play the winner of Dolores and Telluride in the other semi.
Against the No. 7 seeded Ridgway, Ignacio led 13-6 after the first quarter and 21-8 at halftime. Ignacio held Ridgway to two points again in the third, taking a 37-10 lead into the fourth. Gabe Tucson and Eppie Quintana both scored 12 points for IHS. Phillip Quintana added nine, Devante Montoya scored six, and four other Bobcats also scored. Eleven players that suited up got in the game.
Joel Priest contributed to this report
