In a game where half-court offense was hard to come by, Piedra Vista’s Jamie Pierce was fouled driving to the basket with 15 seconds left and hit a free throw to give the Panthers a gritty 38-37 win Tuesday night at Durango.
PV improved to 5-3 overall, while Durango fell to 4-4.
“We played hard and again we played well defensively,” Demons coach Lauren Moran said. “But at the end of the game, we didn’t execute offensively, we didn’t take care of the ball and of the course of the game, as a whole, they were able to knock down shots and we weren’t.”
Junior guard Mariah Maestas led the Demons with 12 points, including eight points in the second half. Junior guard Lilly Fitzpatrick and junior forward Ellie White had nine and eight points, respectively, for Durango.
Piedra Vista junior forward Tyra Holyan finished with 11 points all in the first half. PV junior guard Jordis Fage had 11 points.
“To be three starters down, all with broken bones, the grit the girls showed tonight to come out and fight hard, get to their spots and hitting clutch shots, big shots,” Piedra Vista coach Joe Reed said. “Karen Stanley had been quiet the whole game, comes up with two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The girls played with tremendous heart and effort tonight being down three bodies.”
Both teams started the night from the free-throw line. It was turnovers galore in the first quarter, as both teams struggled in the half-court. Holyan put the Panthers up 3-0 with a nice spin move and bank shot in the lane.
Fitzpatrick was active for the Demons and was active early, scoring on a backdoor cut, as well as a transition layup.
Fage drove inside late in the first quarter to give Piedra Vista a 9-5 lead after one quarter. Fitzpatrick had all five points in the first quarter for the Demons.
Holyan showed off her offensive repertoire to start the second with another spinning bank shot, followed by a 3-pointer, extending the Panthers’ lead to 14-5.
“We knew that if she got the ball, she’s a good scorer, so we really wanted to deny her getting the ball as much as possible,” Moran said about the Demons’ game plan against Holyan.
But Durango finished the second quarter strong, as Maestas scored in the lane and Bailey Gaskins hit a 3-pointer to give the Demons a 19-18 lead at halftime.
PV found success on offense in the third quarter by spreading the ball out. Holyan dished the ball out, and the Panthers led 23-19 with four minutes left.
The Demons once again finished the quarter strong by crashing the offensive glass. White and Maestas had putbacks, and Maestas had a floater in the lane with 20 seconds left to cut Piedra Vista’s lead to 27-26 after three quarters.
Moran praised Maestas for stepping up after starting point guard Tyler Trujillo went down with a foot injury.
Two 3-pointers by junior Katelynn Sheppard and Maestas gave Durango an early 33-29 fourth-quarter lead as the Panthers struggled with missed outside shots and turnovers.
However, Stanley arrived on the scene and hit a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 34-33 lead with 2:28 left in regulation. Stanley then hit another 3-pointer from the corner, which bounced a mile high off the rim and in to give PV a 37-35 lead with 1:15 left.
“We were trying to run a pick and pop for Tyra to get Tyra an open look,” Reed said. “As fortune may have it, the ball bounces around, we find Karen on the outside, who’s typically a great 3-point shooter, with confidence just let it fly, she got a nice little bounce, but we’re going to take it.”
Fitzpatrick was fouled with 32 seconds left and hit both free throws to tie the game at 37. Then, Pierce was fouled with 15 seconds left.
After Pierce’s made free throw, Reed set up the full-court press to slow down the Demons and not allow them to use their athleticism down low. It worked, as senior forward Carter Neiman turned the ball over and Piedra Vista ran out the clock.
Durango hosts Pagosa Springs on Thursday, while Piedra Vista will face El Paso El Dorado on Dec. 28 to open the Hobbs Holiday Tournament.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
