Durango High School boys basketball had its chances but fell just short Friday.
DHS lost 44-41 to Willow Creek on Day 2 of the Pepsi Holiday Invitational Tournament on Thursday in Flagstaff, Ariz.
The Demons (1-2) had a couple of chances to pull even in the final minute but couldn’t knock down the 3-pointer they needed. Lukas Baken led the way with 10 points, while Josh Hobson scored six.
“We just couldn’t get the offense going,” DHS head coach Alan Batiste said. “We missed a lot of bunnies,” or uncontested layups.
Batiste said he was happy with the defensive effort, which has been strong for Durango all weekend. It’s just a matter of being able to finish offensively in close games.
“We’ve just got to start pulling these type of games out, though,” Batiste said.
“The defense they played, they pretty much protected the basket, so we knew we had open shots; we just couldn’t knock them down.”
Durango will play the loser of Flagstaff and Northland Prep Academy – the late game Friday night – at 11 a.m. Saturday to wrap up the tournament.
heraldsports@ durangoeherald.com
