The Demons knew they were going to get a physical game.
Despite that fact, Palisade beat the Durango High School boys basketball team 55-46 on Friday on Day 1 of the Palisade Tournament in the Front Range. And according to DHS head coach Alan Batiste, the Demons will get another physical game Day 2 against Cheyenne South of Cheyenne, Wyo.
“They played hard,” Batiste said. “They frustrated our guards.”
DHS (3-3) committed 20 turnovers.
“They picked us up full,” Batiste said of the Bulldogs’ full-court press on their home court.
“We knew they had physical guards; we knew they were going to bring it. They beat us up. We got some shots, but we had to work for them.”
And they weren’t falling Friday night in Palisade.
Durango scored 11 points in the first half, trailed by as many as 21, but the Demons kept it at 14 for most of the game. The bench, led by Orion Clay and Jacob Kaplan, brought the final margin back down to single digits.
“They gave a lot of energy,” Batiste said. “They gave us a boost and helped us stay in that game.”
Dane Mestas led the Demons with 13 points, and Trent Andrews scored eight for DHS.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
