IGNACIO – Bayfield High School senior Keyon Prior knew his shot was on when he hit a 3-pointer with less than two seconds remaining in the first half of the opening round of the Southwest Classic. He celebrated after he made his third 3-pointer of the half that gave the Wolverines a 10-point lead against Vallecito rival Durango on Friday night at Ignacio High School in the opening game of the Southwest Classic.
Prior finished with 11 points in his first game of the season after he missed the team’s first seven games with a lingering football injury. He helped lift Bayfield (4-4) to a 56-34 win over the Demons (7-5).
“It was unbelievable to be out there,” Prior said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be out there a ton tonight, so I wanted to make the most of my chances. I just felt really good out there, and after I hit the 3-pointer close to the half. I’ve been working a lot to get back to this point, and, thankfully, coach gave me the green light tonight from beyond the arc, and it was just special.”
Prior was not the only scorer who stepped up for the Wolverines, however, as senior Briant Cuellar scored six points, all in the fourth quarter, while Hayden Farmer did not score until the second quarter, but he remained a steady presence for BHS and finished with 12 points.
BHS head coach Klint Chandler thought it was the performance his team needed after the break.
Durango led 8-0 early, but BHS senior Turner Kennedy sparked a Bayfield comeback and kept driving at the Demons’ defense.
The senior scored 12 first-half points including two 3-pointers, which helped Bayfield get back into the game. He finished with a game-high 20 points. It was Prior’s 3-point shooting that lifted the Wolverines to outscore the Demons 21-8 in the second quarter, and Bayfield led 28-18 at the break.
“Coach just told us to stay calm,” said Kennedy. “We knew that our shots weren’t falling from the start, but we didn’t get down because we know how good our offense can be. Once we started finding the space in that zone defense, I think we were a lot better than before.”
Durango head coach Alan Batiste thought his side got away from the play that lifted DHS to a five-game win streak before the holiday break.
“We came out how we expected us to come out, but we just reverted back to old habits,” Batiste said. “The biggest thing on the offensive end is to slow it down and not play fast. We reverted back to old habits and got rushed when we got pressed. Credit to Bayfield, they’re a good defensive team and were able to capitalize off of our old habits, and we paid for it.”
The return of Prior to the defending Class 3A state champion Wolverines was a welcome sight for Kennedy and his teammates.
“He definitely lifted us tonight, and I think once he started hitting his shots toward the end of the first half, it really pushed us to keep going in the third quarter,” Kennedy said. “We didn’t want to let up and have another second-half showing like we did against Farmington. Coach has really been emphasizing to us about finishing strong, and in that quarter, we got some good looks and finished our layups and just kept pushing.”
The Southwest Classic will continue Saturday. Durango will take on Montezuma-Cortez (7-0) at 3 p.m., while Bayfield will play Ignacio (2-5) at 5 p.m.
DHS freshman sharpshooter Anthony Flint scored 11 points to lead the Demons, while Al Hurworth had 10 points and Clay Seibel chipped in six.
Chandler said the ability to shut down DHS’ post play wasn’t an accident.
“We played a 2-3 zone for the first time all season tonight,” he said. “Before, we had played man and we could not keep up with them in the post. But these guys have seen players like Al (Hurworth) and Clay (Seibel) for years and know their game, so we just wanted to beat them at their own game, and we were able to do that.”
bploen@durangoherald.com
