The Durango High School basketball teams were presented with an awkward and difficult travel scenario over the weekend, but that couldn’t stop the Demons from taking care of business.
Durango’s girls squad (16-7, 6-2 5A/4A Southwestern League) held Montrose (12-10, 3-5 5A/4A SWL) to single digits in every quarter Friday night, and senior guard Katrina Chandler was honored for passing the 1,000 career-point mark after the Demons won 38-27.
The team then got on the bus after the game, arrived in Montrose at 2 a.m., and drove to Grand Junction in the morning for a game at Grand Junction High School. The DHS defense was relentless once again, and Chandler outscored the entire Tigers team as the Demons coasted to a 43-19 win. Chandler was at her best in Grand Junction, where she’ll play college basketball for Colorado Mesa University after graduating for DHS in May.
“It’s not easy what these girls did,” Durango head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “Getting on a bus and going all the way up to Grand Junction after an emotional game gave the kids every opportunity to find an excuse. This group doesn’t do that, and they did what they’ve done all season. They gave their all and I’m proud of the effort.”
Chandler’s 25 points led the way for Durango at Grand Junction (4-17, 1-7 5A/4A SWL) after a special night on Friday in which she poured in 15 points. The senior had passed the 1,000-point mark at Montrose back on Feb. 4 in a 47-29 win and currently has 1,090. She had no idea she had achieved such a significant milestone until Fitzpatrick approached her after Friday’s game, took her out to center court before the boys game where a spotlight lit up the star senior who has lit up the scoreboard for four years.
“I really didn’t know, and I didn’t think I was even close,” Chandler said. “Freshman year, I didn’t do much. My sophomore year, I scored some, but Katie (Wiegert) was the best player by far on that team. Last year and this year I’ve had some good games, but I just didn’t think I was that close. Honestly, this is a team accomplishment. Everyone on the team, the fans and all the coaches made it happen for me.” According to Fitzpatrick, Saturday was more of the same, as Chandler was aided by stellar play once again from Taylor Edwards, Stephanie Basye and Emma Hackett. Hackett has been a nuisance on defense for opponents all season, and she was again Saturday in Grand Junction.
“Emma is a great example of how this team has progressed,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve played our best basketball down the stretch here and we’re only getting better.”
The Demons held the Tigers in check before Chandler got her second wind.
“It was a relatively close game until Katrina got hot in the fourth quarter,” Fitzpatrick said. “She’s done that time after time in her career here. Katrina has been the catalyst here for awhile now. She’s the best competitor I’ve ever coached, and I’ve had some pretty successful players here. We’ve got a great group of kids and sometimes it’s been hard to get the rest of the girls to stop watching Katrina and find an identity of their own. This group has embraced that, and that’s why we’ve been a winning team.”
The Demons have won six in a row heading into the postseason and they’ll have a good idea of what is ahead of them at the CHSAA 4A state tournament when the brackets are announced Sunday. After finishing second in the league to 5A Fruita Monument and delivering one of the two losses to the Wildcats (21-2, 7-1 5A/4A SWL), the Demons have a good chance at hosting a playoff game next week.
“It’s my senior year, and I think we might have a playoff game in Durango,” Chandler said. “We’re playing our best when it matters most. The sky is the limit with this group, and we know that after beating Fruita. We’re peaking at the right time and it’s march madness – we just have to keep winning.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
