Having waited long enough to at last begin their 2025-26 basketball season, Durango boys basketball arrived in Bayfield Monday evening with plenty of pep in their collective step.
So much that the contest commenced not with a jump-ball at midcourt, but with the Wolverines shooting two free throws as a result of a pregame technical foul assessed in the wake of some DHS players throwing down some pretty impressive dunks during warm-ups.
BHS junior guard Hayes Malone clanked both gifted attempts, but after more than making amends during the clash, cashed three of four FTs during the penultimate minute of play – giving him a game-high 21 points (5-8 FT) and helping Bayfield bounce back from a 69-57 road loss on Saturday at Blanding (Utah) San Juan with a 56-48 victory in their home opener.
“I keep telling these boys we can play with anybody in the state, anybody in any class as long as we play hard and tough,” BHS head coach Damon White Thunder said. “That’s what they did tonight and, yeah, it’s great momentum for us.”
Still bringing the energy from their jam session, however, the Demons (0-1 overall) were also ready to rock. Behind a 3-pointer and six total points from sophomore guard Taj Batiste, plus four from junior guard King Kerlin as well as sophomore forward Jude Alderton, DHS not only offset a seven-point Malone onslaught but went into the second quarter leading 14-13.
BHS sophomore reserve Davis Roderick then promptly drained a trey, but Batiste immediately answered confidently from deep – as well as right in front of Bayfield’s student section. Helped by Malone’s second triple – he’d knocked down eight against SJHS – the Wolverines fought back to go up 22-17, but White Thunder used a timeout with 3:09 left until halftime after being visibly unimpressed with his squad’s effort on the boards – controlled by Alderton, Batiste and sophomore reserve Jack Cuthbertson.
“Kind of changed game plans, with more focus on going to get rebounds … instead of having people leak out,” White Thunder said. “So we had everybody crashing, and we also switched up our defense a little bit; that kind of helped us.”
Kerlin shot DHS back into the lead, 23-22, with a three-pointer and then a converted three-point play, but BHS, helped by a third Malone trey, went into the break ahead 27-23 – and knowing Kerlin had picked up his third personal foul moments before the buzzer. And after floating in a short jumper beginning the third quarter, he was given his fourth on a charging infraction with 5:47 to go in the third.
“We did get the extra week of practice,” Batiste said, “But we kind of settled a little on the 3-pointer, settled a bit on that outside jump shot rather than getting into the paint.”
But even with Kerlin benched, the Demons remained determined and re-tied the score at 29-29 via sophomore Miles Jordan’s midrange pullup jumper. Wolverine junior forward/center Cameron Queen (12 points) countered with an inside bucket, but Cuthbertson answered with an Alderton-assisted baseline jumper with 2:35 left in the third.
Boss Batiste then spent a timeout, but Bayfield quickly regained a 37-32 advantage after junior Drew Jepson made two of three FTs with 0:55 remaining. But in prepping for the final frame, Alderton converted a pass from sophomore Tyler Hoerl into a late baseline jumper bringing the guests back to 37-34 through three quarters.
Still scoreless, DHS junior Boaz Zastrocky then suddenly sank a three, and a reset Kerlin followed with back-to-back drives to the hoop – putting Durango up 41-37. Yet another Malone trey, however, then keyed a brief 6-0 run regaining the Wolverines the lead, but Hoerl struck back with a corner triple for a 44-43 edge.
“Someone’s going to step up every night … and it’s going to be somebody different every time,” Alan Batiste said. “We’ve got an identity that we want, and we weren’t able to do it – but, again, credit to Bayfield; they kept us from doing that.”
Motivated by sophomore Harrison Williams, who matched Malone’s six fourth-quarter points and totaled seven, the Wolverines (2-1 overall) retook the lead for keeps with a 9-0 burst capped by two Malone FTs with 50.2 ticks left, and the Demons got no closer than 55-48 with 18.1 remaining.
“We just wanted to try to stay in front of them as much as we could. And we did a decent job of it until the last quarter here and there; we kind of let them loose a little bit,” said White Thunder. “We got lucky when they fouled.”
Bayfield finished 17-of-30 from the charity stripe, while Durango ended up 5-of-10. No Demons fouled out, though Kerlin (20 points, 3-3 FT), Zastrocky, Taj Batiste (9 points), junior reserve Marten Martes-Yeager and Cuthbertson (2 points) each finished with four personals.
“We had a good mindset at San Juan, but it just didn’t go our way,” said Malone, who burned the Broncos for 24 points. “We know we have the talent and the size, so we had to use that today. Every time we can come together all excited, and have momentum on our side, we’re going to come out and be a more … dominant team.”
Durango will next head to Farmington to compete in the Scorpions’ Marv Sanders Invitational, and first face 3A Fort Defiance (Arizona) Window Rock on Thursday. The Fighting Scouts stood 3-2 overall going into their Tuesday home game versus interstate rival Gallup (New Mexico).
“First game for us, so we’re behind … a lot of teams. And we’re trying to figure it out, still trying to put things in,” said Durango boss Batiste. “But it’s always going to be a rivalry, Bayfield and Durango, and overall …. Credit to Bayfield; they were ready to play.”
Bayfield will travel to the northern Front Range to take on Windsor Charter Academy on Saturday.
