With seven points from center Courtney Bayles and two from forward Taylor Morris during the first quarter, Bayfield's post production early in Monday's interstate action actually equaled the nine points put up between Piedra Vista's Elli Wright and Joelle Quintana.
There was no comparison, unfortunately, for PVHS guard/forward Nikki Benally.
Her first 11 points helped the BHS Gymnasium visitors take a commanding 25-9 lead after one quarter. Then her next 11 helped the 5A Farmington team go into halftime already with 10 more points (59) than the 3A Wolverines' previous opponent-Alamosa-had totaled three evenings before.
Benally would finish with 24 in not even three quarters' time, and a depleted Bayfield was crushed 88-24.
Already minus injured junior Skyla Ruybal and senior Tory Tate, Lana Killough's crew was also without junior Amber Johnson due to a concussion sustained in the 49-31 loss (in Intermountain League play) to Alamosa. When Morris-one of three BHS players to foul out against the Mean Moose-picked up her second personal foul during the first quarter, the skipper had no choice but go to her two-player 'bench.'
Eagerly able to post up against the much larger Quintana, junior Maddi Foutz battled for four second-quarter points in Morris' stead. Fellow reserve Kyle Baker netted Bayfield's only other basket before intermission. Unfortunately, that spark failed to ignite a blazing comeback.
Benally's energy then spread to PVHS' second string as they came in to play the second half. Able to use the backboard to bank in two shots from distance, sophomore Hannah Sayyeau equaled Benally's three second-quarter three-pointers, and the duo sank five consecutively to effectively demoralize the Wolverines (3-5, 0-1 IML).
Bayles, who'd also fouled out versus Alamosa, saw the rescheduled (from Jan. 7) contest to its conclusion and finished with a BHS-leading 10 points. Freshman guard Tymbree Florian, the third Wolverine DQ'd against AHS scored four to equal Foutz and Morris. She made 10 points against Alamosa.
Up next Bayfield will host Monte Vista tonight, with the Pirates currently 2-1 in the IML and 7-3 overall.
Desperately seeking some circuit success after an 0-4 start achieved in only seven days, Montezuma-Cortez visits tomorrow afternoon after hosting former 4A/5A Southwestern familiar Grand Junction Central tonight.
BOX SCORE-FARMNGTON (N.M.) PIEDRA VISTA 88, AT BAYFIELD 24:
PVHS (25-34-13-16)-E.Wright 1 2-3 4, A.Long 4 0-0 9, M.Russell 0 1-2 1, N.Benally 9 3-3 24, J.Quintana 4 1-2 9, D.Russo 2 2-3 6, H.Sayyeau 5 1-1 14, K.Lee-Bennie 6 0-0 12, E.Reed 1 0-0 3, N.Smith 0 0-0 0, A.Delegarito 2 2-2 6, K.Sligar 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 34 12-16 88. 3-POINTERS: Benally 3, Sayyeau 3, Long, Reed. FOULED OUT: None.
BHS (9-6-3-6)-T.Christensen 0 0-0 0, M.Duran 0 0-0 0, T.Florian 2 0-0 4, T.Morris 2 0-0 4, C.Bayles 4 2-4 10, M.Foutz 2 0-0 4, K.Baker 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 11 2-4 24. 3-POINTERS: None.
