Durango High School is determined not to settle for the same fate as a year ago.
The Durango Demons (14-6) advanced to the Class 4A Southwestern League/Western Slope League District Tournament championship game after picking up a 46-42 win in the semifinals against SWL rival Montrose (9-12) on Friday at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.
Last season, Durango lost the district championship 63-41 to Palisade.
This year, the No. 2 Demons will play No. 1 Rifle (16-3), who defeated No. 5 Palisade 52-43 in the other semifinal.
“When you play for any kind of championship, you get pumped,” DHS boys basketball head coach Alan Batiste said. “We made it to the same game last year and lost by 20. We are excited to try to redeem ourselves. We are going to bring it.”
Dane Mestas led Durango in scoring against Montrose on Friday. He finished with 10 points. Fellow senior Trent Andrews finished with seven points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Demons led the game by as many as 14 points twice, but the Indians fought back each time.
“The boys showed great poise when they put pressure on us the last three minutes of the game,” Batiste said. “Montrose also shot themselves in the foot a bit, getting two technical fouls with 1.2 seconds left. We didn’t hit our free throws, but it kind of cost them.”
Friday’s win gave DHS a season sweep of Montrose, who Batiste calls the team’s biggest rival in basketball, eschewing the Demons’ rivals to the West, the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers. It is the first time the Demons have swept the Indians in a single season in Batiste’s five-year tenure at DHS.
“It was tough to beat them twice, let alone three times. They are our big rival the last three or four years, so it feels great to get by them,” Batiste said. “We know we still have business to handle, though.”
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
Class 4A SWL/WSL District Tournament
Southwestern League/ Western Slope League
Feb. 20-22 at Grand Junction
Thursday, Feb. 20
No. 1 Rifle 42, No. 8 Montezuma-Cortez 36
No. 2 Durango 45, No. 7 Delta 41
No. 5 Palisade 50, No. 4 Steamboat Springs 37
No. 6 Montrose 56, No. 3 Glenwood Springs 51
Friday, Feb. 21
No. 1 Rifle 52, No. 5 Palisade 43
No. 2 Durango 46, No. 6 Montrose 42
Consolation
No. 4 Steamboat Springs 60, No. 8 Montezuma-Cortez 45
No. 7 Delta 51, No. 3 Glenwood Springs 48
Saturday, Feb. 22
Championship
No. 1 Rifle (17-3) vs. No. 2 Durango (14-6), at Colorado Mesa, 11:30 a.m. (KDGO 1240 AM)
Consolation Championship
No. 4 Steamboat Springs (16-6) vs. No. 7 Delta (11-11), at Palisade, 11:30 a.m.
Third-place Game
No. 5 Palisade (13-9) vs. No. 6 Montrose (9-12), at Palisade, 2:30 p.m.
Durango Herald
