This past weekend, it’d be hard to differentiate the Durango Demons basketball teams from a quick glance.
Although the Durango Demons basketball teams both lost to Grand Junction Central by double digits this past Friday, both squads bounced back with wins over Grand Junction the following day to secure their first 6A/5A Southwestern League victories.
The girls lost 52-33 Friday, but won 46-38 Saturday. The boys lost 51-39 Friday, but won 53-40 Saturday. Both teams improved to 8-6 and 1-1 in league play.
Durango girls junior guard Mariah Maestas was the star of the show over the weekend. She scored a team-high 29 points on Saturday against Grand Junction, shooting 7 of 14 from the free-throw line.
Durango girls coach Lauren Moran said Maestas had most of her points off layups and midrange jumpers.
“We've been working with her on getting her to be a little bit more assertive offensively and she has already done a good job of that,” Moran said. “She's done a great job taking over the point guard role. But on Saturday, it really clicked that we needed her to be the primary force and we were down most of our other reliable scorers.”
Junior guard Lilly Fitzpatrick sprained her ankle Friday against Grand Junction Central and was unable to play Saturday against Grand Junction. Senior forward Carter Neiman was also unable to play on Friday and Saturday due to a back issue.
Grand Junction Central took care of business against the Demons on Friday and won 52-33. The Warriors improved to 6-8 overall and 2-0 in the 6A/5A SWL after the home win. Krystyna Manzanarez and Brynn Wagner led Grand Junction Central 14 points each.
Maestas and freshman Jaelyn Alston each scored seven points to lead the Demons.
The Durango girls had no chance to compete with Grand Junction Central on Friday after the Warriors raced out to a 25-3 lead after the first quarter.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game going in,” Moran said. “They have two really strong guards. Defensively, we just did not play well in the first quarter. We were down by quite a lot really quickly and regardless of who we have available, we always want to play well defensively. So that was frustrating that we gave up as many points as we did in the first quarter. Once we settled in I think we did a little bit better both offensively and defensively but overall wasn't a great game for us.”
The Durango boys basketball team’s struggles from the free-throw line were its downfall Friday night at Grand Junction Central. The Demons finished 7 of 25 from the free-throw line.
“It was a tight game,” Durango boys coach Alan Batiste said. “It was like a four-point or six-point game the whole game last night and we had great moments offensively and defensively, but a lot of it had to do with us at the free-throw line.”
However, the Demons bounced back on Saturday. Durango opened the game on a 28-4 run, which propelled them to victory. Freshman forward Donovan Whitehead and junior guard Noah Miles scored 17 and 12 points, respectively.
“Jacob Neubert had a huge game defensively,” Batiste said. “It didn't really show in the stat line but he altered shots, making it hard for them to score down low. He dominated the defensive end. But Donovan, he can guard multiple positions and when he catches the ball, some things can happen. But overall again, it was still team ball this weekend and we're moving in the right direction.”
Both the Durango boys and girls will host Montrose and Fruita Monument this weekend.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
