The Bayfield High School boys basketball team was up by two points with 1 minute, 13 seconds remaining against rival Alamosa on Tuesday night at Bayfield High School. Alamosa Mean Moose guard Brendan Crowther was at the free-throw line shooting two. He made both, but the referees called a technical foul on Alamosa for having too many men on the court.
BHS made the most of its late free throws to hold on for a crucial 62-56 home win. It was Hayden Farmer, who scored 15 points in the game, who made the technical free throws after the costly Alamosa mishap.
Alamosa (8-5, 3-1 3A Intermountain League) cut a 10-point deficit to two late in the game, but the technical foul was the game-changing play.
Mean Moose head coach Brandon Brubacher thought his team did a good job of battling back.
“We were in the middle of the substitution, and they threw the ball, and it is what it is,” Brubacher said. “It’s an unfortunate, for sure.
“I was proud of our guys for fighting back, but we came out a bit flat at the beginning because of their physicality, and it ended up costing us at the end. It was a team loss. We played hard, we just didn’t execute like we needed to.”
Bayfield (8-4, 3-0 IML) had four scorers in double-figures on the night, including Turner Kennedy, who tied a game-high 18-points. Three other players had 10 points or more. Ethan Morris added 13 while Keyon Prior finished wit 12.
BHS head coach Klint Chandler thought the physical play inside and contributions from across the roster were positive signs moving forward.
“I thought that was one of the best games we’ve played all year, as far as a full game,” Chandler said. “We only had a few plays down the stretch where we panicked, and they got back into it because of it.”
Morris was able to get easy baskets and also got to the free-throw line six times in the game.
“Coach told me to keep pounding the post and work our offense,” Morris said. “We like to go in the post a lot and then kick it out to our guards, but it was really nice to get a couple of touches early for me to get going offensively.”
The Wolverines went into the locker room up 29-21 at halftime and extended the lead to 41-31 by the end of the third quarter.
Alamosa outscored Bayfield 25-21 in the final quarter, and the Wolverines could have put the game away sooner if it weren’t for inconsistent free-throw shooting, where they went 13-of-26.
The Mean Moose climbed back into it through Chad Jackson, as he had nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, while Crowther had seven points in the frame, including a late 3-pointer.
“I knew, even heading into the fourth, that Alamosa was by no means out of it,” Chandler said. “They’re so well-coached, and credit to them for making the turnovers when they did. We have to go against them again on Saturday, and I think it will be a lot of this again. High-intensity basketball. But moving forward, we have to keep getting post touches. Shoot, if we can get four players in double figures, I think we will be fine.”
Bayfield will travel Friday to Pagosa Springs for another conference showdown. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at Pagosa Springs High School. The trip to Alamosa looms Saturday.
bploen@durangoherald.com
