The Durango High School boys basketball team and Montrose played a tight, strategic game on Saturday in the second round of the Class 4A state tournament.
The Demons slowed the game down, looking to run off about 30 seconds from the clock with each possession while taking open shots when they got them. DHS head coach Alan Batiste said his team was patient and didn’t force the issue.
“We executed our game plan and slowed the game down,” Batiste said. “For three quarters, we didn’t give up more than six points. We just needed to score.”
Montrose took a slim 12-10 lead into halftime and a 17-12 lead into the final quarter. MHS, however, was able to find a groove in the fourth to pull away and win the contest, 39-20.
“It was a very tight game until the fourth. We were only down five,” Batiste said. “You have to have luck on your side a little, and you have to knock down some shots. But when you hold a team to under 40, you give yourself a good chance to win.”
Seven Demons scored for Durango, led by Anthony Flint with five. Luke Wesley scored four, Tyler Harms added three while Zach Haber, Dylan Bettin, Lincoln Clay and Walter Stauffer each scored two.
Luke Hutto led Montrose with 11 points while Fletcher Cheezum scored seven.
The loss ends Durango’s season with a 12-13 overall records, but DHS finished strong. The Demons won four of their last six games, with both losses coming to Montrose, to earn the tournament’s No. 29 seed and get to host a playoff game for the first time since 2016. DHS then scored a victory in the first round of state, 59-54, against Glenwood Springs.
“They really came together as a unit,” Batiste said. “It was a great season.”
Montrose, the No. 4 seed and last year’s state runner-up, stayed undefeated with the win, improving to 24-0. MHS will next host No. 20 Discover Canyon in the Sweet 16 on Wednesday.
The game was also the last in a Durango jersey for five seniors: Flint, Stauffer, Landon Roberts, Jasper Zastrocky and Clay. Flint was the team’s leading scorer this year, averaging 14.6 points per game. Stauffer led the team on the boards, averaging 9.6 rebounds per game. Zastrocky averaged 5 points per game, Clay averaged 3.7 points and 3 rebounds while Roberts averaged 2.3 points.
“I’m thankful for those seniors; they ended on a good note,” Batiste said. “This is the best game we played, we just fell short.”
