It seems the Ignacio Bobcats are always destined to meet the Sanford Indians at some point the state tournament. If it happens again this year, it will come in the semifinals.
The Ignacio High School boys basketball team received the fifth seed in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A Boys Basketball State Tournament on Sunday. The Bobcats will face No. 5 Holyoke (21-3) in the quarterfinal round at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Colorado State University-Pueblo.
“We figured we’d be playing Holyoke, whether we were the fourth or fifth seed of even in a three-six matchup,” Ignacio head coach Chris Valdez said. “It makes sense.”
Holyoke and Ignacio met in the 2010 state championship game, with the Dragons winning that matchup 55-38.
A lot has changed since then, including the head coach of the Dragons. John Baumgartner was fired after winning the title. His replacement, Scott Dille, still leads a Holyoke program that routinely reaches the Elite 8 of Class 2A, just like the Bobcats.
“They’re a disciplined team,” Valdez said. “They play a man-to-man, full court defense from end-to-end. They’ve been competitive every year.”
Valdez knows his guards can handle that kind of defense, with Wyatt Hayes and Anthony Manzanares both extremely experienced when it comes to state tournament play. This is the third consecutive year Ignacio has made it this far.
“We will work real hard and focus on what (Holyoke) does best this week in practice and try to counter it,” Valdez said. “We will also focus on what we do best and attack in different areas.”
Ignacio has discovered more depth down the stretch run, and senior post player Nicholas Herrera has played his best basketball in the league and regional tournaments. That gives Valdez confidence despite being the fifth seed after being the top-seed in 2014 and the third in 2015. IHS finished third in the tournament both of those seasons after semifinal losses to Sanford.
“Nick has given us a big boost defensively and scoring-wise, getting about 10 a game. He’s been great,” Valdez said. “We’ve had a lot of kids off the bench come on. Joaquin King is making a couple baskets a game off the bench, and Johnny Valdez is a great defender in zone and man-to-man, and he can shoot. Kruz Pardo has even started on and off through the season against small teams, and Austin McCaw starts against bigger teams, and he’s a heck of a defender. This team has really developed.”
Hayes is a triple-double threat every game, and Manzanares plays with a fearless tenacity, especially in big games. Add in senior Tucker Ward, who can score with the best of them, and this Bobcat team is a force in Class 2A.
In fact, the Bobcats don’t have a Class 2A loss on record this season, with the only two losses coming to Class 4A Durango High School and Class 3A Bayfield High School, two teams that also made their respective state tournaments.
But the team to beat again this year is Sanford, winners of more than 70 games in a row. The top-seeded Indians (24-0), coached by Rhett Larsen, are looking for a third consecutive state title and have beat the Bobcats in the state semifinals each of the last two years.
The two teams could be on a collision course again for a semifinal matchup Friday, but first comes Holyoke for Ignacio and No. 8 Ellicott for the Indians.
Resurrection Christian, last year’s top seed and state runner-up, received the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7 Rye. Sedgwick County earned the third seed and will face No. 6 Paonia.
The tournament is double elimination to determine each team’s final place.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
