BAYFIELD
Jessie Roukema compared it to a war movie.
There were 42 fouls called in the Bayfield High School girls basketball team’s 52-40 win over Aztec on Tuesday in Bayfield, 27 against the Wolverines.
Two Aztec players fouled out in the game’s final four minutes, while at least three Wolverines had three or more fouls.
All those fouls led to 37 free throw attempts for the Wolverines, and they made 20 of them, including six in a row late to clinch the victory.
“It was really nice. I keep telling them free throws and layups win games,” BHS rookie head coach Bri Simbeck said. “I actually wish we would have made more free throws, but when you knock them down when it counts like that, it helps.”
Roukema led BHS with eight of those makes and 16 total points; she finished two rebounds shy of a double-double.
Jaida Ross had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and she had a game-high six steals.
BHS (6-7) forced 30 turnovers while giving the ball away 30 times itself.
Not many of those giveaways came as a result of Aztec’s pressure, however.
The Wolverines broke the Tigers’ press early and often with long passes to players behind the defense.
“We worked really hard on our passing,” said Ross, daughter of Gene and Jamie Carlson. “We tried to break it without any dribbling.”
That attitude helped stake the Wolverines to a 7-0 lead right out of the gate and a 23-18 advantage at halftime.
Aztec managed to reduce its deficit as the turnovers mounted with timely 3-point shooting.
The Tigers hit four shots from behind the arc to help offset the Wolverines’ 14-point advantage at the free throw line.
Morgan Smith tied the game at 28 for the Tigers with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left in the third quarter and gave Aztec its first lead 17 seconds later with a pair of free throws.
They’d only stay out in front for 1 minute, 12 seconds because Jaida Ross went to work on the block. She scored two consecutive baskets to give the Wolverines the lead for good.
“I got on them in the locker room and all throughout the first half about not settling,” Simbeck said. “We need to beat the teams that we should beat and not settle for anything less than our best.”
BHS will jump back into Intermountain League play against Centauri at 5:30 p.m. Friday in La Jara.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
