After a tough overtime loss to Fruita Monument Friday night, the Durango girls basketball team couldn’t have bounced back better than they did against Grand Junction at home on Saturday.
The Demons used their strong defense to run away with the game in the second quarter, cruising to a 57-26 win.
Grand Junction never found its footing offensively. The Tigers struggled to run any offensive sets without turning the ball over and could never create any separation against Durango’s swarming pressure.
“We were really proud they didn’t have any kind of letdown after yesterday; it was such a hard-fought and emotional game,” Durango girls basketball head coach Lauren Moran said. “We had to make sure we didn’t come out flat and overlook this team. We let the frustration from last night fuel us. We came out strong and had success in all four quarters.”
Durango improved to 14-4 overall and 3-2 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League after it shot 38% from the field, 25% from 3-point range and 83% from the free-throw line.
Junior guard Claire Goodwin led the Demons with 17 points on 5-11 shooting from the field, 1-3 from 3-point range and 6-6 from the free-throw line along with five steals. Sophomore guard Jaelyn Alston had nine points on 4-4 shooting from the field, 1-1 from 3-point range and two steals.
“We’re thrilled with Jaelyn’s improvement this year; she plays a huge role on our team,” Moran said. “She got quite a bit of playing time last year as a freshman and that set her up for the success she’s having this year. She’s extremely versatile with her athleticism and her hustle with her length. Now that she’s starting to understand defensive techniques, she’s having a lot of success.”
Grand Junction fell to 8-10 overall and 1-4 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League. Sophomore Harper Young led the Tigers with 13 points.
Although Durango played less than 24 hours before, its half-court offense was a little rusty to start the first. The Demons weren’t creating the open looks they wanted and had some sloppy turnovers. Durango led 6-4 with 3:30 left in the first thanks to its defense.
Moran said it took a little time for the Demons to find their footing against the tall and long Grand Junction defenders.
Durango finished the first quarter strong thanks to its defense. Demons senior guard Mariah Maestas had a beautiful look inside to sophomore forward Ryne Neiman for an easy score; Maestas also drew a foul and hit a free throw at the line. The Demons led 13-6 at the end of the quarter but it could’ve been closer if Grand Junction didn’t struggle from the free-throw line.
Two 3-pointers by Alston and Goodwin pushed Durango’s lead to 21-6 early in the second. The Tigers turned the ball over multiple times and Durango capitalized with a 27-6 lead with five minutes left in the half after two Goodwin free throws.
Grand Junction continued to struggle on offense. The Tigers didn’t have the athleticism or skill to get by the Demons’ defenders in a one-on-one setting. Grand Junction finally scored in the second with 1:20 left off a nice spin inside from Kendra Tooker to make it 33-8 Durango. The Demons took a 35-10 lead into halftime.
“Our ability to turn them over in the full-court or with our half-court traps and get layups off that certainly helped us build the lead and get going offensively,” Moran said.
Durango started out the third quarter slowly on offense with a large lead. As the quarter went on, the Demons maintained their lead with strong defense. Goodwin continued to find her way inside the paint. Durango led 45-17 after three.
The Demons were up by enough in the fourth that Moran could empty the bench so that reserves junior Josie Phare, sophomore Gracie Fitzpatrick, sophomore Kaleigh Roan and freshman Annwyn Austin could get some playing time.
Durango hits the road to play at Grand Junction Central on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Boys basketball beats Grand Junction 46-35
The Durango boys basketball team bounced back from its loss to Fruita Monument on Friday with a 46-35 win over Grand Junction.
Durango improved to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League. Sophomore guard King Kerlin led Durango with 12 points.
Grand Junction fell to 9-8 overall and 2-3 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League.
The boys play at Grand Junction Central on Friday at 7 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com