Wyatt Hayes had a triple double without scoring a point in the second half, meanwhile Tucker Ward shot the lights out of the building in the second half for the Ignacio Bobcats.
The Ignacio High School boys basketball team dominated the second half after leading Mancos 38-24 at halftime in a San Juan Basin League road contest. The Bobcats changed up their defensive scheme in the second half and finished the game with a 78-42 victory.
“We went man-to-man and were more aggressive out of it,” IHS head coach Chris Valdez said of the defensive strategy. “We ran zone early and tried some trapping, but that stagnated us in transition. We were better in the second half.”
Hayes, a senior guard, led the Bobcats with 14 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds and four steals. All of his points came in the first half. Tucker Ward had a highlight game with 23 points, 14 of those coming in the second half. He also added 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“We went off and did a real good job,” Valdez said.
Nicholas Herrera added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Austin McCaw finished with eight points for the Bobcats (7-0, 2-0 SJBL).
Valdez was also happy with the play of sophomore Kruz Pardo. He started Friday with Anthony Manzanares serving a one-game suspension for being ejected from a game last weekend against Montezuma-Cortez. Pardo had five assists. Manzanares will return to action Saturday when Ignacio visits Telluride.
Valdez also pointed out the play of junior Joaquin King, who came off the bench and made two 3-pointers on two attempts.
“He also played good defense for us, so he will start seeing more playing time,” Valdez said.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
