Ambrose Valdez had most definitely watched some NBA hoops the previous night.
Rocking star Denver guard Jamal Murray’s No. 27 jersey – and perhaps replaying in his mind just how the Nuggets’ star put a career-high 55 points on the Portland Trail Blazers – before and after Ignacio High’s long-anticipated rematch with local/league rival Bayfield Thursday night. IHS’ junior guard certainly evoked Murray with some of his longer makes, detonating powder kegs’ worth of applause from supporters stuffing IHS Gymnasium.
The Wolverines … didn’t want to see that and took care of business with a 53-46 win.
“I know what they can do, what they’re capable of here and our defensive scheme held up pretty well throughout the game. But (Valdez) just got loose,” BHS head coach Damon White Thunder said. “Those kids are so good – we kept Trace (Crane) pretty well contained – but we didn’t expect Ambrose to go off, hitting those deep bombs like he did.”
Valdez would rain down three threes in totaling an IHS-best 13 points, but he wasn’t alone in a contest where anyone could be the hero and everyone seemed to have heroics in store.
After the Bobcats gained a 9-8 lead in the first quarter, via a jumper with 0:58 left by senior reserve Lincoln Gillespie, the visiting Wolverines closed out the exciting eight minutes with a baseline reverse layup by senior Lincoln Williams, plus a buzzer-beating Williams trey assisted by senior Austin Wilmer.
BHS’ lead grew to 15-9 before IHS junior Stoney White Thunder cashed a three. Steadily rallying, Trae Seibel’s Bobcats crept ahead, 21-20, via a Valdez triple with 2:15 left until halftime. Bayfield sophomore Hayes Malone countered with a three retying the score at 23 with 1:00 to go and after Malone then fed Cameron Queen for a go-ahead hoop inside, IHS’ White Thunder converted a Crane assist into a bucket, sending the game into intermission deadlocked at 25-25.
An early 2-pointer by senior Charley Pargin put the ’Cats up 30-29, and after Queen again struck inside, Valdez dropped in a layup. Queen then pumped in another two points, only to see Valdez respond with a straight-on three. Down 35-33, the Wolverines stayed committed to Queen, who converted a pass from senior Cooper Roderick into his fourth 2-pointer of the quarter and after Valdez was hit with his fourth personal foul with just 18.2 ticks left, senior Neatris Wilbourn nailed one of two free throws – giving BHS a 36-35 lead going into the fourth.
“On Cameron’s side, it just worked out for him,” Valdez admitted. “We just tried to go out there and have our best game, put the ball in the hoop. But our battles in the paint could have been a little bit better.”
Assisted by senior Isaac Forsythe, Wilbourn got the final frame underway with a 2-pointer, but IHS junior reserve Rance Rathjen answered with an offensive rebound and putback. Senior Coty Webb, also coming in off Seibel’s bench, then buried a three but BHS junior Kingston Martinez tied the score at 40 with a two-pointer (fouled by Rathjen, Martinez failed to add the and-one bonus FT) and 5:03 remaining.
Pargin put Ignacio back up 42-40 with 4:12 to go, but like Martinez, failed to tack on an extra point after being fouled by Queen. Almost able to physically lean back on his own student section, spilling out from the seats and onto the floor close to the baseline, Malone swished a go-ahead three from the corner. With 1:26 still to play, the Wolverines’ 43-42 lead had grown slightly to 47-44, and boss White Thunder knew it was time to force the Bobcats to begin fouling.
Martinez made two FTs with 53.5 seconds left and Malone added another with 0:26.6 remaining, expanding the margin to 50-44. Taking a pass from Valdez, the well-guarded Crane at last made his first basket with only 15.8 left, but Bayfield closed out a 53-46 road win with one Williams FT and two from Roderick.
Williams finished with 10 points while Roderick registered nine and Malone seven. Queen, meanwhile, ended up totaling a game-high 14, with a dozen of those points coming during the second half.
“He’s put in a lot of work – he got his shot earlier in the season, and he’s taken full advantage … and now he’s one of our go-to guys,” Damon White Thunder said about Queen. “He’s a game-changer down there, and he’s only going to get bigger.”
Stoney White Thunder finished with eight points as IHS’ substitutes outscored BHS’ 16-13.
Ignacio (9-10 overall, 2-6 3A/4A Intermountain) will next travel on Monday to face 4A Montezuma-Cortez, with the Panthers standing 14-5, 6-2 IML prior to a scheduled Saturday home game versus 4A Pagosa Springs. As of press time, IHS’ Friday game versus Centauri had been rescheduled for Tuesday.
Bayfield (12-7, 6-3) will pause from IML work to host 3A Telluride on the 22nd. The Wolverines’ Valentine’s Day game versus Monte Vista had been rescheduled for Monday.
