Thursday, Mar 12, 2015 4:10 AMUpdated Thursday, Mar. 12, 2015 3:17 PM
Wolverines will play for fifth, at best
Bayfield’s Trevor Gabbard is overcome with emotion after the Wolverines’ loss Thursday.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Bayfield head coach Jeff Lehnus called Colorado Academy’s Justin Bassey the “LeBron James of 3A.” He showed it with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Preston Hardy kept the Wolverines in the game early with 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half. His injury in the third quarter hurt Bayfield on both sides of the floor.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Bayfield’s defense hung tough for much of the game before Colorado Academy pulled away.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Conner Kennedy (3) said the Wolverines just didn’t have an answer for Colorado Academy’s inside-outside attack.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Bayfield had the fan support, but not enough on the court to continue its Cinderella run.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald The Bayfield High School Wolverines take the court at the beginning of their CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald <br>The Bayfield High School Wolverines take the court at the beginning of their CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Bayfield High School freshman Ryan Phelps at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald <br>Bayfield High School senior Dillon Hoselton and Colorado Academy junior Justin Bassey, left, and junior Christian Hyatt, right, at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald <br>Bayfield High School senior Dillon Hoselton at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br> Bayfield High School head coach Jeff Lehnus at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Bayfield High School Wolverine fans towards the end of the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald <br>Bayfield High School senior Preston Hardy at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Bayfield High School senior Preston Hardy and Colodrado Academy junior Will Creedon at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Bayfield High School senior Preston Hardy at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald <br>Bayfield High School senior Preston Hardy at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald <br>Bayfield High School freshman Ryan Phelps at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Bayfield High School senior Conner Kennedy at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Bayfield High School junior Zane Phelps at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald <br>Bayfield High School assistant coach Trent Phelps, left, and freshman Ryan Phelps, center, at the conclusion of the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Bayfield High School senior Trevor Gabbard after the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up against the Colorado Academy Mustangs on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
Steve Lewis/Durango Herald<br>Conner Kennedy puts up a jump shot at the CHSAA Class 3A State Championships Great 8 match-up on Thursday at Lockridge Arena at Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Bayfield lost to Colorado Academy, who was ranked No. 4, 60 to 44.
GOLDEN – Bayfield senior center Preston Hardy left the court doubled over holding his right thumb, putting a Cinderella season in jeopardy.
At the time, the Wolverines’ boys basketball team was hanging with No. 4 Colorado Academy in the third quarter of their CHSAA Class 3A Great 8 game Thursday in Golden.
The Mustangs took complete control in Hardy’s absence, winning 66-44 to advance to the Final Four.
Hardy, who will play at Colorado Christian next season in college, left with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, leading BHS (13-11) in both categories.
“We could definitely feel it,” said BHS senior Dillon Hoselton, son of Rick and Stephanie Hoselton. “The loss of Preston really hurt us.”
The Wolverines went from trailing just five at halftime to being outscored 29-18 in the second half.
Colorado Academy (19-6) relied on its lethal combination of Justin Bassey and Christian Hyatt to stretch Bayfield’s defense with outside shooting, giving Mustangs’ center Will Creedon plenty of room to operate inside.
“We just didn’t know how to defend it. It’s different from how we defend other teams,” said BHS senior point guard Conner Kennedy, son of Kelly and Tiffany Kennedy. “We just couldn’t adjust to it.”
Hyatt made 4-of-6 3-pointers as part of a game-high 21 points.
Bassey, who BHS head coach Jeff Lehnus called “the Lebron James of (Class) 3A,” scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists.
He only shot 3-of-11 from the field, though, and most of the defensive responsibility fell on Hoselton.
“I feel like I did OK with the matchup,” Hoselton said. “Personally I haven’t (guarded anyone like that before). There’s been kids that are close to him, but he’s definitely a great athlete.”
The loss ends Bayfield’s hope at a state championship.
The best they can finish would be fifth place.
BHS will pay the loser of No. 1 Faith Christian vs. No. 9 Jefferson Academy at 1:15 p.m. Friday in the consolation semifinals, and Colorado Academy will play the winner in the Final Four at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Lehnus said in the locker room after the Colorado Academy game that he wants to see Jefferson Academy, a team BHS lost to early in the season, again.
“I don’t mean that in arrogance. That’s out of respect I say that,” he said. “I enjoy the challenge and the opportunity, and so do my players.”
The Wolverines may have to play that game without Hardy, too.
He didn’t return to Thursday’s game after the thumb injury, as it may have been dislocated.
Lehnus said he would be a game-time decision for Bayfield’s next game.
“It would have been nice to see the outcome of that game if we still had him,” Lehnus said.
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