Nate Atencio missed his first free throw of the game, then went back to the basics when they meant the most.
He hit six of the Durango High School boys basketball team’s eight consecutive free throws in the final 1 minute, 12 seconds of the Demons’ 43-34 victory over Fruita Monument on Saturday at DHS.
Durango (6-4, 2-0 Southwestern League) led by one possession with 1:12 left in the game and used a combination of stout defense and timely free throw shooting to close the game out.
Atencio made six free throws, and Dane Mestas made two during the stretch without a miss to seal the win.
“We practice free throws every day, so you just think of it like you’re in practice,” said Mestas, son of Josette Chacon and Dane Mestas. “Just gotta get that nice stroke.”
The Demons led 30-23 heading into the fourth quarter, but Fruita Monument made a pair of 3-pointers to pull within one.
DHS head coach Alan Batiste called a timeout, and assistant coach Dalon Parker challenged the team, asking, “Who wants it more?”
The Demons did.
They full-court pressed Fruita Monument at the end of the game, disrupting the Wildcats’ rhythm and forcing turnovers.
Fruita Monument needed to foul to extend the game, hoping DHS would miss free throws.
It didn’t happen.
“This was the first time this year where we had to knock down free throws in a late game,” Batiste said. “The boys showed some points and didn’t panic. It was a good step forward for us.”
DHS trailed 15-10 after the first quarter, but Trent Andrews sank two free throws to give them a 21-20 halftime advantage.
Atencio and Mestas tied for the team lead with nine points, while freshman Josh Hobson scored seven off the bench.
The Demons’ second unit injected life into the offense in the second quarter to turn a deficit into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“That’s the way we are as a team,” Batiste said. “We have 12 guys who could have 20 on any given night. That’s a luxury, but you still try to look for that one cohesive unit of seven or eight guys that you know you can go to.”
The defensive intensity remained high regardless of the Demons’ combination of players on the court.
DHS held Fruita Monument to 29.8-percent shooting and 4-of-15 from behind the 3-point line. The Wildcats turned the ball over 15 times, but they also forced 18 DHS turnovers with their own pressure.
The Demons are off to 2-0 start in SWL play for the second consecutive year. They will continue their league schedule at 7 p.m. Friday at Grand Junction and noon Saturday at Montrose, the start of a five-game road swing before hosting Montezuma-Cortez on Feb. 11.
“It was real good pulling through this and starting off right,” said Atencio, son of Joanna and Raymond Atencio.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
