Although an eerily quiet gym with less than 50 fans in attendance made a contest Wednesday between the Durango and Montezuma-Cortez boys basketball teams sound more like an afternoon practice than one of Colorado’s most heated rivalries, players on both sides brought energy throughout the night.
In the end, Durango’s talent proved too much for a young Panthers squad to overcome, as the Demons built a 20-point halftime lead before coasting throughout much of the second half to a 63-44 victory.
Senior Walter Stauffer led the way offensively for Durango with 14 points, while senior teammate Sam Johnson scored 13. Joining the Demons senior duo in double figures were junior Anthony Flint with 13 points and sophomore Dylan Bettin with 11.
M-CHS was paced by sophomore Sawyer Smith, who scored 15 points, and junior J.T. Carver, who chipped in 11. Sophomore Austin Wood contributed five points to the Panthers’ cause.
Among the several factors that contributed to Durango’s big win was the team’s ability to create turnovers during a frenetic first half that saw M-CHS struggle to move the ball across half court against the Demons’ full-court press.
Also contributing to the Panthers’ difficulties was a Durango size advantage that became evident when Stauffer posted up on the low block at will and Flint attacked the basket with little fear of rejection from M-CHS’ undersized guards.
“We said that we had to dominate the paint and win all the paint points,” Demons head coach Alan Batiste said. “We also turned them up a little bit and forced some turnovers. We were able to execute off the turnovers, and that’s always a plus sign. We haven’t had that opportunity this season.”
Though the Demons pulled ahead 19-7 at the end of the opening quarter and extended their lead to 33-13 by halftime, all was not rosy for the Demons during a second half that saw the Panthers outscore Durango by a point.
Keying M-CHS’ second-half turnaround was Smith, who pulled down several rebounds and attacked the rim with abandon on his way to 13 second-half points that saved his team from a complete blowout.
“(Smith) is like the energizer bunny – he never stops,” M-CHS head coach Michael Hall said. “I like to see his aggressiveness. He’s a young kid, and he’s learning every day. I love to see him attacking the basket.”
Even with Smith’s effort, the Panthers found themselves unable to carve into their big deficit as Flint, Johnson and Bettin attacked the basket and Stauffer controlled the paint and pulled down numerous rebounds.
A 5-0 run by M-CHS highlighted by transition hoops by Carver and Smith made the score 33-18 before Durango responded with a layup by Johnson with 4:10 left in the third quarter and a soft dunk by Flint moments later.
“(Stauffer) has been struggling a bit with his confidence, but he had an excellent game and got his confidence back up,” Batiste said. “Him touching the ball down there and being able to score was a big plus for us.”
While the contest was highlighted by energized play from both sides, the relatively quiet M-CHS gymnasium felt somewhat strange to both Batiste and Hall, who have stood on opposite ends of the sideline during numerous matchups between their rival teams.
“It definitely helps that there’s no crowd,” Batiste said with a laugh. “Them coming to our house with no crowd and us coming here with no crowd, it wasn’t the full Durango-Cortez rivalry, but when we get between the lines, it’s still a rivalry for the boys.”
With a 4-3 overall record and 1-1 in the 5A/4A Southwestern League, Durango will look ahead to difficult home matchups against Montrose on Friday and Grand Junction Central on Saturday.
M-CHS (1-7, 0-3 3A Intermountain Leaue) will return to its practice court for one day before it will face Alamosa on Friday and Centauri on Saturday.
“They’re a young team,” Batiste said of the Panthers. “It’s a team full of sophomores, and they play hard. They are right around the corner; we’ve got our hands full when we see them next year, and we’re looking forward to it.”
