It might have been Winter Royalty Night for the Ignacio High School students, but the fans were the ones who received the royal treatment Thursday.
The Ignacio and Sargent boys basketball teams had a tough task in following up the thrilling overtime girls game that preceded theirs. However, after four quarters and two overtimes, the buzzer-beater that rocked the IHS gym in the first game was an afterthought, as Ignacio rallied for a 74-72, double-overtime win.
Johnny Valdez’s layup with 5.5 seconds remaining gave the Bobcats the lead, and a desperation 3-point try from the Farmers clanged off the back iron as IHS earned a big win against another top-15 opponent in Class 2A.
Kruz Pardo led the Bobcats with 22 points. Lovato had 18 points and Valdez added 12 in the win.
“I think in the end we shot the ball better and they were better down low,” Bobcats head coach Chris Valdez said. “It made for such an even battle. Their point guard is fantastic, and they’re so well coached. It’s a good win.”
Just like the girls game, Ignacio came out hot and scored the game’s first five points. And, just like the first game of the evening, Sargent (5-4, 1-0 Southern Peaks League) had a response. The Farmers answered with a 10-0 run that gave them a lead they didn’t give up for the rest of the half.
Ignacio (5-3, 3-0 San Juan Basin League) hung right in there, though, and cut a seven-point deficit to a two-point margin at halftime.
The Farmers started the second half with back-to-back buckets before a 7-0 Bobcats run gave the hosts their first lead since the game’s opening minutes.
Sargent answered back with a 6-0 run to end the third quarter that gave the visitors a 46-43 lead heading into the final 8 minutes.
Down the stretch, it almost seemed to be a replay of the first game.
After consecutive charge calls at both ends, Josh Thompson’s 3-point play with 33 seconds left gave the Farmers a two-point lead, and two more free throws gave the visitors a four-point edge with seconds remaining.
However, Sargent gave the Bobcats new life when Kruz Pardo was fouled as he was attempting what would have been a harmless 3-pointer for three free throws with 1.1 seconds on the clock.
Pardo made the first two, missed the third one on purpose, and Lovato earned a rebound and tipped the ball through the basket to send the game to overtime.
“That mistake is on me,” Sargent head coach Justin Fricke said. “I didn’t stress enough to the boys not to make that foul. We talked about it in the timeout, but I didn’t explain it as well as I should have.”
One overtime wasn’t enough to decide things, and two were nearly not enough, but Pardo’s steal and Valdez’s lay in sent the IHS faithful home with a smile after a long night of thrilling high school basketball.
It was a huge win for the Bobcats, who are just getting their full squad back after a number of players were forced to sit out after quitting the football team.
“We are just getting back to full strength,” Coach Valdez said. “It’s a huge win for us. Sargent is ranked higher than us and they played No. 3 Del Norte really tough. This win proves that we can play with the best teams in our class.”
Sargent’s Thompson led all scorers with 30 points, and teammate Justin Johnson had 20 in the loss.
IHS will return to its home floor for a Saturday game against Norwood.
jfries@durangoherald.com
