CORTEZ – On the eve of the release of the Class 3A boys basketball playoff bracket, defending state champion Bayfield High School was playing a bit out of sorts.
The Wolverines did not have the offensive performance they were looking for, and lost the Class 3A Intermountain League third-place consolation game Monday afternoon by 20 points to top-seeded Centauri, 56-36, at Montezuma-Cortez High School. It was the final game before regionals begin later this week.
BHS (11-10) shot 4-of-21 from the field in the second half after trailing by just two points at halftime.
The Wolverines have dropped six out of their last seven. Their last win came 10 days ago against Pagosa Springs, which was their only win in February. Thankfully for head coach Klint Chandler and the Wolverines, Friday is March 1, and BHS could use a fresh start, Chandler said.
“These last few weeks have been tough on us, but we’ll get back to the gym tomorrow and see where we go, and hopefully, we won’t shoot like this too many more times, if at all this season,” Chandler said. “We have to get our confidence back.”
Chandler said the key to turning the page is finding their offensive groove again.
“We’ve got to make some shots, first and foremost,” he said. “We had some good looks and they didn’t go down. Then we were playing catchup, and it doesn’t work against good teams.”
The sides exchanged baskets for the first two quarters. Hayden Farmer scored an early five points for BHS, while Keyon Prior picked it up in the second quarter and scored six of his team-high 11 points.
The Falcons found an answer in Trey Crowther, who had all eight of his points in the first half, which included two 3-pointers, as Centauri took a 26-24 lead into halftime.
Centauri (17-4) took over in the second half behind senior point guard Martin Garcia, who propelled the Falcons to outscore the Wolverines 19-8 in the third quarter. A McKay Russell 3-pointer started a 9-0 Falcon run, which ended with back-to-back three-point plays, as Noah Sowards and Garcia scored the basket and the foul shot.
By the end of the third quarter, Centauri held a commanding 45-32 lead.
“The defensive transitioning to our offense was the key today,” said Centauri head coach Jeff Brown. “We put ourselves in good positions to make buckets, and the run there late in the quarter was huge. Defensively, we locked down in the second half, but going forward, we’ve got to play strong for all four quarters.”
In the fourth, Centauri increased its lead to 20, and Chandler pulled out his starters with 3:30 remaining in the game. BHS was held to just four points in the quarter to end a frustrating second half.
The win was significant for the Falcons other than the third-place finish, as they jumped from the No. 7 spot to No. 5 in the latest RPI poll, which would make them a regional host. Bayfield dropped one spot from No. 25 to No. 26.
Farmer finished with nine points, Turner Kennedy had seven and Ethan Morris had four. Sowards had 11 for the Falcons, and the team finished with five 3-pointers.
Chandler said his team will be ready wherever the bracket places them, and he expects they will turn up the intensity at practice.
“I told them in the locker room that our season starts over now,” he said. “The postseason is a whole new season, we just really have to make sure we’ve got a good week of practice, show up and keep winning basketball games. ... This group is capable of making another deep run, and we’ve got to win five more now.”
bploen@durangoherald.com
