If the Durango High School girls basketball team wants to be the best, the Demons are going to have to beat the best.
After laying a home-court beating on No. 48 Thompson Valley last week at DHS, the Demons’ next task will be a Tuesday game in Pueblo against the No. 1 team, Pueblo South, in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 4A girls basketball state tournament’s Sweet 16.
“Every team is tough this time of year,” Durango head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “We’ll embrace the challenge and I know these girls won’t be intimidated. They don’t play scared.”
Considering the quality of basketball the Demons (17-7) have played down the stretch this season, they certainly have no reason to be scared.
No. 16 Durango has been on a roll lately. The Demons have won seven in a row, including a Feb. 11, 42-36 win against what was the fifth-ranked team in 5A at the time in Fruita Monument.
After earning a bye to start the state tournament, DHS obliterated Thompson Valley in Tuesday’s second-round matchup after the Eagles (9-16) beat No. 17 Montrose to earn the chance to play at Durango. The Demons started the game on a 16-0 run and never looked back in a 56-34 win that was even more lopsided than the score indicated.
Pueblo South (22-2) is coming off a 43-34 win against No. 32 Littleton (14-11). The Colts’ only in-state loss this season was a 68-50 setback to crosstown rival Pueblo West. Durango will lean on the fact that they hung right there with Pueblo West (21-3) earlier this season in a 49-38 loss that saw the Demons outscore the Cyclones in the final three quarters.
Pueblo South is led by outstanding guard play from Maya Austin and Andrea Nelson. The two have combined to make 108 3-pointers this season, 38 more than the entire DHS team. Austin leads the team averaging 14.4 points per game, but the Colts have a variety of scorers with four players averaging in double figures. Interior presence Gabi Lucero will be hard to handle down low as she is averaging a whopping 13.4 rebounds per game.
“They have some really good players that like to shoot the 3,” Fitzpatrick said. “Their guards are tough and there’s a reason why they’re ranked where they are.”
Durango has a tough guard of its own in senior leading scorer Katrina Chandler. The Colorado Mesa University commit is averaging 15.6 points per game and has the ability to take over any game. However, the Demons have become a well-rounded team in recent weeks. In Tuesday’s win, senior forward Stephanie Basye led the way with 18 points and junior forward Hilda Garcia added 14.
“We’re not going be afraid because we want this type of test,” Basye said after Friday’s playoff win. “We practice hard and we’re prepared for this. This is why we love to play basketball.”
No. 16 Durango and No. 1 Pueblo South will tip at 6 p.m. at the Pueblo State Fairgrounds. The winner will play the winner between No. 8 Holy Family and No. 9 Golden.
jfries@durangoherald.com
