The Bayfield Lady Wolverines had their share of concerns entertaining Durango’s junior varsity squad on Friday night.
“We were going to have a really small bench tonight. We were missing a huge number of players,” Bayfield coach Scott Key said.
In the end, Bayfield got the job done.
After a fourth personal foul benched her for a good portion of the night, junior Renae Foutz returned to action in the final frame and put the game out of reach with a key 3-pointer – giving her a game-high 20 points and the Lady Wolverines a 44-23 victory at BHS Gymnasium.
Despite lacking senior regulars Genesis Barrera and Lily Lewin, plus freshman reserve Kimball Anderson – all absent due to Bayfield’s holiday break not yet over – and injured sophomores Lily Muir and Arriyanna Cundiff, Bayfield jumped on Durango JV with a 13-0 lead to start the game.
“Everybody did their jobs, did their roles and good things happened,” Key said.
Junior Netta Johnson’s seven second-quarter points helped the Lady Demons make it a 17-9 game before Bayfield senior Sofia Pour Toujours en Amour prevented any more last-second damage with a steal just before the buzzer.
The teams accumulated 18 combined fouls during the draining third quarter. Bayfield went 8 of 20 from the charity stripe and Durango JV went 7 of 14 during those eight regulation minutes. However, the Lady Wolverines (3-4) gradually started increasing their lead again, up 33-22 at that point.
Bayfield’s Sylvia Hesford finished with six points, while Pour Toujours en Amour and Vivien Clance each tallied five points.
The Lady Wolverines will begin league play with three straight road games, starting Jan. 12 at Montezuma-Cortez (4-3).
“In the locker room the girls were excited,” Key said. “We’re in a super, super tough league; we know that. But … we’re looking to build upon successes that we’ve had so far and just keep rolling.”
