A winless Bayfield High School girls basketball team came out on its home floor and stunned the Pagosa Springs Pirates for one quarter Tuesday afternoon.
But the Class 3A seventh-ranked Pirates responded in the second and third quarters, as they outscored the host Wolverines 10-2 in the second and 18-3 in the third after they had trailed 10-6 through the game’s first eight minutes.
Eventually, behind 20 points from Molly Graham and 13 from Chantelle Caldwell, the Pirates (7-1, 4-1 3A Intermountain League) would earn a 45-23 victory at Bayfield (0-7, 0-4 IML).
Bayfield used a 3-pointer from Cayanne Carlson and six points from Abby Tate to build its initial lead. Pagosa drew even on a mid-range jumper from Caldwell with 5 minutes, 13 seconds to play in the second quarter. Fifty seconds later, a Graham free throw had the Pirates in front for good.
Pagosa Springs would end the third quarter on a 10-2 run to take a commanding lead to the fourth quarter.
Caldwell was a difference maker with 10 points in the second and third quarters combined. BHS played strong defense on Pagosa Springs’ Adelyn Dozier to hold her to five points and no 3-pointers after she had entered the game with 22 made 3-pointers on the season and a team-high 16.8 points per game.
Tate finished with nine points for Bayfield, while Carlson scored seven.
BHS will host Class 3A No. 3 Centauri (7-0, 2-0 IML) at 4 p.m. Friday before a 4 p.m. game at Montezuma-Cortez on Feb. 25. BHS fell 43-41 to the Panthers at home on Saturday in its best chance yet at its first win of the season.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
