The Durango High School girls basketball team won six games in a row to finish off an impressive regular season. The Demons’ hot stretch turned out to be crucial as their regular-season performance was just enough to earn a 16-seed and a bye in the first round of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 4A girls state basketball tournament.
“We’re playing our best basketball right now, and it has been a complete team effort over the past few weeks,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’re excited about it. It’s an exciting time for the community with the boys getting one of the top seeds and Fort Lewis having built such a great program. We’re happy to be a part of that.”
Sunday’s CHSAA bracket announcement didn’t just include Durango (16-7) as the 16th seed in the tournament, it also allows the girls to host a playoff game Friday against the winner between league rival, 17-seed Montrose (13-10), or No. 48 Thompson Valley (8-15).
The Demons beat Montrose twice this season, 38-27 Friday at home and 47-29 on Feb. 4 in Montrose.
“The old adage in sports tells us that it’s tough to beat a team three times,” Fitzpatrick said. “But we know the crowd will give us a boost, and we’ll be ready.”
If Durango gets through the likely second-round matchup with the Indians, the Demons will most likely head to Pueblo to face the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed Pueblo South (21-2).
The top seed’s crosstown rival, Pueblo West (20-3), is the No. 2 seed and beat Pueblo South badly last week. Durango played Pueblo West earlier in the season and lost 48-37 after trailing 21-6 in the first quarter. The Demons outscored the Cyclones in final three quarters, so they know they can compete with Pueblo South if the opportunity arrives, especially after beating one of the state’s best 5A teams, Fruita Monument, two weeks ago.
Evergreen (20-3) is the tournament’s third seed and Air Academy (19-4) is fourth.
“I don’t like to look forward to anything past our next game,” Fitzpatrick said. “This time of year you can just focus on one. If we win that one, we can move on to the next and so on. We’re just excited to be able to keep playing.”
Friday’s game against the Montrose-Thompson Valley winner is scheduled for 7 p.m. at DHS.
jfries@durangoherald.com
