Every year, the Marv Sanders Invitational in Farmington is a staple of the beginning of the high school basketball season. The Durango boys and girls basketball teams went down to Farmington to face some top local competition. Here’s how the Demons did on the opening day on Thursday:
Volcano Vista girls basketball slips past Durango in overtime
Senior Mila Espinoza scored 25 points to lead Volcano Vista into the winners bracket of the Marv Sanders Invitational Girls Basketball Tournament after the Hawks edged Durango 58-54 in overtime Thursday afternoon in the Scorpion Arena at Farmington High.
The Hawks, which played for the Class 5A state title last season, survived a late rally by the Demons which outscored Volcano Vista 18-11 in the fourth quarter thanks to a pair of big shots from senior Ellie White who brought Durango back from a seven-point deficit.
The Hawks played under pressure for much of the contest, particularly when Espinoza was forced to sit the bench for most of the second quarter after picking up her third personal foul. The Hawks offense appeared to be a bit out of sorts without their leading scorer on the court.
“(Espinoza) is our captain out there and we need her out there on the court, and we missed that when she was on the bench,” said Volcano Vista head coach Lisa Villareal.
When Espinoza was on the court, she showed why she is one of the most dominant players in Class 5A. She scored 17 points in the second half but may have left more points unanswered for when she missed five free throw attempts in the fourth quarter.
Volcano Vista’s Jalysa Hines nailed a 3-point shot with 8.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 52-52. The Demons appeared on the verge of earning the win just moments earlier when Mariah Maestas sank a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left.
In the four-minute overtime session, Volcano Vista outscored Durango 6-2, with Espinoza, Hines and Mia Zuniga leading the scoring for the Hawks. Durango made only one of four shots from the field in the overtime session and turned the ball over twice.
Missing on the court for the Demons down the stretch was junior Claire Goodwin, who led the Demons with 17 points before she fouled out of the game with less than five minutes left to play.
Volcano Vista (2-1) advances to the second round of the tournament in the winners bracket and will face Window Rock, Ariz. on Friday at 4:15 p.m.
Durango boys basketball edges Kirtland Central 49-41
The Durango High School boys basketball team held off an aggressive Kirtland Central team 49-41 in the opening game of the Marv Sanders Memorial Invitational held at Farmington High School Thursday morning.
Both teams had issues shooting early, going 0 for 7 combined from the field. Kirtland Central displayed better ball control and zero fear of its bigger opponents, disrupting passing lanes that led to turnovers.
The Broncos defense stayed stingy, but its offense’s slow start hindered its opportunity to jump in front of the Demons in a big way early.
“Our effort was there, I can’t complain about the effort, we battled,” Kirtland Central head coach Isaiah Valdez said. “We’re not tall, so we got to do the dirty work.”
Durango fell into foul trouble in the second period, giving Kirtland Central the bonus opening the door for Kirtland Central to tie the game late in the second period. The Broncos went 5 for 6 from the free-throw line after the Demons got into the foul bonus.
Kirtland Central senior Kyluar Howard later connected on a 3-point shot to give the Broncos its first lead in the contest.
Durango seniors Otto Aalland and Marcus Cullum handed the Demons a 3-point lead back before halftime.
The third period saw four different lead changes, with Kirtland Central sophomore Mallaki Atcitty leading the charge for the Broncos.
The Demons didn’t crack under the pressure of Kirtland Central’s persistent nature and followed the lead of senior Noah Miles, who went on to connect with three straight 3-pointers to push Durango’s lead to eight heading into the fourth period.
Despite having the lead, Durango continued to shoot the ball and did just enough to keep Kirtland Central at arm’s length. Kirtland Central had its chances, but couldn’t get shots to fall in, going 2-for-12 from the field.
“We’re defense first and will let the offense come to us and I think that’s what kept us in this game was our defense,” Valdez said. “We’re rusty on offense that’s for sure, but if we get through this stretch into New Years, we will clean that up.”
Cullum and Miles paved the way for Durango’s victory, scoring 16 and 14 points respectively.