The Durango High School boys basketball team needed a basket on Friday night against Grand Junction Central, but the unfriendly rim had other plans, stopping the Demons’ comeback and eventually leading to a 39-36 win for the Warriors.
Durango trailed for nearly the entire night, but junior guard King Kerlin put the team on his back on offense, going on a 5-0 run to tie the game at 33. After a Durango foul and two Grand Junction Central free throws, Kerlin drove to the basket, created some contact, put up the shot, but the ball rolled off the rim, and Durango was forced to foul.
Kerlin’s miss was a microcosm for the entire game, with Durango’s offense struggling to consistently generate good looks. The Demons’ defense was very good in the half-court, but turnovers and fouls were a big reason Durango couldn’t snap its six-game losing streak.
“We’ve been playing hard defense all year … now, offensively, we’ve got to score,” Durango head coach Alan Batiste said. “It was an offensive struggle. We didn’t play very well … but overall, I’m proud of them. They just keep playing hard.”
Durango dropped to 4-13 overall and 0-6 in 6A/5A Southwestern League. Kerlin finished with 12 points on 4-14 shooting from the field, 1-5 from 3-point range, 3-5 from the free-throw line and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Taj Batiste had 12 points on 4-6 shooting from the field and 4-5 from 3-point range.
Grand Junction Central improved to 7-12 overall and 2-5 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League. Junior Blake Rooks led the Warriors with 12 points, including 6-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
It was a slow start for both teams, with the Warriors making the first field goal of the game with about four minutes left in the first quarter. Durango was taking a while to run through its sets and find good shots. Grand Junction Central was penetrating into the paint, getting fouled and getting to the free-throw line.
Durango was a little sloppy with the ball, leading to transition opportunities for the Warriors. Grand Junction Central did a good job crashing the offensive glass and finishing inside, leading to a 13-7 advantage after the first quarter.
Turnover troubles continued for the Demons to start the second quarter. Durango struggled to run its sets without forcing a tough pass that led to a turnover. Batiste wanted a different look and inserted some swing junior varsity players to bring some energy to the lifeless Durango offense.
A pull-up jumper by sophomore Miles Jordan gave Durango its first points of the second quarter with 2:15 left, but the Warriors had already had a few finishes inside against Durango’s smaller JV players to increase their lead. A Batiste 3-pointer helped cut the Grand Junction Central lead, but Kerlin missed an open breakaway layup at the buzzer, which served as a microcosm for the Demons’ first-half offense. Grand Junction Central led 18-12 at the half.
“It wasn't ball movement,” Batiste said about the first-half offensive struggles. “We did turn the ball over a little bit more than we wanted. That's what hurts. Can't do that, but we got some good looks. But again, we're taking some shots that are just out of character a little bit.”
If there were a running shot clock, the Demons would be in trouble with how much time they were taking on offense to start the third. Grand Junction Central was doing a good job of closing any driving lanes. Durango’s defense was solid, forcing turnovers and tough shots for the Warriors.
Kerlin hit a jumper to cut the Warriors’ lead to three, but the Warriors responded with a 3-pointer and a basket thanks to a goaltend. Grand Junction Central led 29-21 after three quarters.
The lid on the basket was still closed for the Demons to start the fourth quarter, with the referees helping Grand Junction Central with a few offensive foul calls against Durango. Taj Batiste got the Demons on the board with two 3-pointers to cut the lead to 31-28 with 4:20 left. He’s one of Durango’s best shooters off the catch and has a great release to shoot over defenders.
Grand Junction Central did a good job killing clock, up five inside of four minutes. But Kerlin had the response. He finished through contact once, stole the ball after and finished plus the foul as the large Durango student section erupted. After Kerlin’s made free throw, the game was tied at 33 with 1:50 left.
“We tried to get him isolated a little bit to where he could get downhill, and he did that very well,” Batiste said about Kerlin. “There were some calls on whether he got fouled or not, but that just comes with the territory. We’ve got to be in charge of what we're in charge of and what we can control.”
The Warriors drew a foul and hit both free throws to go up two with over a minute left. Kerlin drove to the basket, but couldn’t finish through contact. Grand Junction Central was fouled, made both free throws to go up four with 40 seconds left.
Durango plays Palisade at home at 1:30 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
