Durango High School girls head coach Tim Fitzpatrick was back on the bench to lead the Demons in a special game Tuesday against Ignacio at Whalen Gymnasium on the Fort Lewis campus. He missed several games recently, and his team celebrated his return with a narrow win.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Makayla Howell of Ignacio High School puts up a shot as Taylor Edwards of Durango High School tries to block it on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Jordan Baker of Durango High School goes for a loose ball while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Katrina Chandler of Durango High School puts up a shot while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Chandler led DHS with 13 points.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Lawrence Valdez of Ignacio High School drives the ball while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Kai Roubideaux of Ignacio High School drives the ball while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Ignacio High School and Durango High School battle it out on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Johnny Valdez of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Cole McCaw of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Ignacio High School and Durango High School battle it out on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Ignacio High School boys head coach Chris Valdez draws up a play while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Steven Wyman of Durango High School puts up a shot while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Malik Liggins of Durango High School makes a no-look pass while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School boys head coach Alan Batiste yells out instructions while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Steven Wyman of Durango High School puts up a shot while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Ignacio High School band on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College while playing Durango High School. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Durango High School bench cheers on while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School girls head coach Tim Fitzpatrick talks with his team during a timeout while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Morgan Herrera of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Avionne Gomez of Ignacio High School puts up a shot as Taylor Edwards of Durango High School tries to block it on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Makayla Howell of Ignacio High School goes for a loose ball while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Jordan Baker of Durango High School goes for a loose ball while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School and Ignacio High School battle it out on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Avionne Gomez of Ignacio High School puts up a shot as Taylor Edwards of Durango High School tries to block it on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Durango High School bench cheers on while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Makayla Howell of Ignacio High School puts up a shot as Taylor Edwards of Durango High School tries to block it on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Lily Chick of Durango High School drives around Kiana Valdez of Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Taylor Edwards of Durango High School blocks the shot of Morgan Herrera of Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School and Ignacio High School battle it out on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Ignacio High School girls head coach Shane Seibel coaches his team while playing Durango High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Katrina Chandler of Durango High School puts up a shot while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday evening at Fort Lewis College. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
There are times in sports when the final total on the scoreboard doesn’t mean everything. For the Ignacio High School girls basketball team, that was the case Tuesday night against Durango.
The Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A Bobcats (9-5, 6-1 2A District 3) went toe-to-toe with the talented 4A Durango girls team on the big stage at Fort Lewis College’s Whalen Gymnasium. Ignacio gave the Demons (12-7, 2-2 4A/5A Southwestern League) all they could handle.
In the end, Durango’s Katrina Chandler and former Ignacio standout turned Durango transfer Hilda Garcia did enough down the stretch to secure a 36-30 win. Chandler was held in check for most of the night, but the DHS all-league star still led the way with 13 points. Garcia added 10 and nailed a dagger 3-pointer in the final minutes to put the game away.
“You have to give Ignacio a lot of credit with the defensive effort they played,” Durango head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “They played us tough, and our girls didn’t have their best night, but it was nice to see us stick with it and get the win.”
The big stage at Whalen Gymnasium may have contributed to some first-half jitters as the teams weren’t nearly as sharp offensively as the coaches would have liked.
Durango led by one point after the first quarter, but Ignacio came out in the second with four unanswered points to build a three-point lead. However, Durango answered back and led 15-11 at halftime.
The Demons came out in the second half and looked poised to take command after scoring the first four points. That wasn’t the case, though, as Bobcats’ guard Avionne Gomez caught fire to lead an 11-2 run that gave the gritty IHS girls the lead. Gomez scored all of her team-high 11 points in the second half, as she was tightly guarded by Chandler.
The teams exchanged baskets and were tied at 27 with a little more than 3 minutes remaining. Chandler buried two free throws to give the Demons a two-point lead, and Garcia extended the lead with a dagger of a 3-pointer from the corner that gave the Demons a five-point lead.
“I was super excited to play in this one, not to show out, but just to compete,” Garcia said. “I was surprised at how well they played us because we’ve played some big games and we play some big teams. It was a great game.”
Gomez answered Garcia’s bomb with a 3-pointer at the other end, but Chandler and the Demons put the game away at the foul line in the final minute.
“That’s a great 4A team, and we stayed right there with them,” a proud Ignacio head coach Shane Seibel said. “We proved that we can play with anyone. This is a big step for us.”
Taylor Edwards had eight points for Durango in the win. Ignacio freshman, and younger sister of Fort Lewis College legend Alex Herrera, pulled down 12 rebounds and chipped in eight points in what was a special night for her.
“When I walked in, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is Alex’s house,’” Herrera said. “That was nice, but to have us play such a good game was nice, too.”
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