A rough start had the Durango Demons digging out of a deep hole before they could ever find a rhythm Tuesday in Cortez.
The Durango High School boys basketball team fell behind 10-4 after one quarter, and a strong second half wasn’t enough for the Demons to get past their rivals, the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers.
The Panthers (6-12, 1-7 Class 4A/5A Southwestern League) hung on to secure a 58-51 win for their first league win of the season.
The Demons (7-11, 3-5 SWL) dropped their fifth game in a row after a four-game winning streak.
“We struggled shooting the ball again,” DHS head coach Alan Batiste said. “We needed to get to the basket more, but credit Cortez. They had four black jerseys in the paint and forced us to take long shots.”
Senior guard Nate Atencio paced the Demons with 16 points on a 5-of-10 shooting night.
Juniors Orion Clay and Terrence Trujillo each scored eight points for DHS. Sophomore Josh Hobson added seven.
DHS shot only 4-of-16 from 3-point range and 17-of-25 from the free-throw line. DHS was able to find shooting success inside the 3-point line, making 26-of-42 shots.
The Demons were led in rebounding by Clay and Trujillo, who both had four. Lucas Baken and Hobson each had two steals.
DHS will try to find a league win at 7 p.m. Friday against Fruita Monument. DHS still is 3-0 at home this season.
“We can’t rely on the quick starts like we had in our three home wins. We will need stops on defense and to get the ball to the hole more,” Batiste said. “We can’t settle for 3s.”
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
