Demon basketball downs GJ

The Durango High School boys and girls basketball teams both beat Grand Junction High School on Saturday at DHS.

The DHS girls, who rallied from a 31-28 deficit in the fourth quarter on Friday to beat Grand Junction Central 45-39, dominated the Tigers on Saturday, 40-12. DHS has now won 13 consecutive games and is 13-1, 2-0 6A/5A Southwestern.

“It’s about being disciplined,” said girls head coach Tim Fitzpatrick. “We’re not playing to score, but working on things and trying to improve every game and every practice.”

The DHS boys, meanwhile, fell to Central on Friday, 43-31, but picked up their intensity in the second half on Saturday to rally past the Tigers, 55-43.

“We’re making better progress on consistency, energy, committing to defense and trying to stay disciplined in all areas,” said boys head coach Alan Batiste. “That’s helping us. We’re in a way better spot than we were a month ago.”

In the girls game Saturday, DHS limited GJHS to three points in the first quarter and two in the second with its press. Mason Rowland got hot and scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the second. Riley Campbell then got a hot hand in the third and scored six of her eight to keep DHS ahead.

On Friday, Central led the DHS girls 11-8 after the first, 21-15 at halftime and 31-28 heading into the fourth. DHS, however, limited Central to just eight points in the fourth while scoring 17 to pull out the win.

“Addie Neiman, Lilly Fitzpatrick and Mariah Maestas came in and played great defense at the end of the game when we needed,” the coach said. Rowland scored 17, Halle Peterson added 12 and Katelynn Sheppard eight.

The Demon boys took a 13-12 first-quarter lead against GJHS when Noah Miles hit a trey and then a 15-14 lead with a pair of Jacob Neubert free throws. A Grand Junction three at the buzzer, however, gave the Tigers a 17-15 lead heading into the second.

The Tigers started to pull away in the second, but Zach Unrue scored the last eight points of the half to help DHS head into halftime only trailing 26-25. Dylan Bettin and Brady Liembach both sunk treys in the third to help DHS take a 37-31 lead into the fourth. GJHS then scored four straight, but the Demons never relinquished their lead.

Unrue scored 23 to lead DHS while Liembach added 15. The Demons improved to 5-10, 1-1 with the win.