Bayfield hoped to load a bus to Alamosa early Saturday morning riding the high of a game-winning shot at the buzzer a night before. Snow canceled that trip.
Wednesday, the Bayfield High School varsity boys basketball team made that trip to Alamosa, but the feeling was drastically different, with several players battling illness. With limited depth and boys playing reduced minutes, the Wolverines didn’t have the legs to keep up with the Alamosa High School Mean Moose.
The result was a 56-40 loss for BHS, its first this year in Class 3A Intermountain League player.
“No excuses,” BHS head coach Jeff Lehnus said. “We need to get healthy, but we don’t offer excuses.”
BHS (7-6, 3-1 IML) was unable to play the press defense it likes to play, and several shots wouldn’t fall that the Wolverines are used to making. Alamosa improved to 10-1 overall and 4-0 in the IML to stand as the lone unbeaten team in the league.
“To beat Alamosa, the top team of the league now for several years, to beat them at their place is going to take a top-notch game,” Lehnus said. “We didn’t quite have that.”
Stopping Ryan Brubacher is a problem for any team, and the Wolverines were no exception. The Alamosa star scored 27 points, seven more than his season average.
“Our defense played pretty well,” Lehnus said. “Brubacher is going to get his, but that’s too many. We’ll hold him better than that next time, but he averages 20 for a reason.”
Ryan Phelps led BHS with 14 points. McKay Wells added 11.
The Wolverines will get ready to hit the road again at Centauri at 3 p.m. Saturday. Then, BHS will return home for a pair of games next week against Montezuma-Cortez and Monte Vista. But BHS will also look forward to hosting Alamosa again Feb. 10 and again in the league tournament.
“We see this as a three-round fight,” Lehnus said.
“They got the first, but we’ll be ready when they come to our place the next two times.”
Girls Basketball
Girls BasketballOne night after beating Sargent 43-42, the Bayfield High School girls basketball team (4-9, 0-4 IML) couldn’t make it two in a row against Alamosa.
The Mean Moose (4-6, 2-2 IML) used an all-around scoring effort to beat the Wolverines. Meanwhile, BHS was led by Kyle Basker and Taylor Morris, who each scored 11 points.
The Wolverines will hit the road to face Centauri at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
