Both the Ignacio High School boys and girls basketball teams were awarded top seeds in each respective brackets on Sunday with the girls receiving the No. 1 seed in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A Region 1 Tournament.
The top-seeded Ignacio girls (17-4) will play No. 8 Custer County Bobcats (8-12) at 10 a.m. on Friday at Adams State University in Alamosa.
This will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams, but Ignacio will look to continue its dominance.
“It hinges on defense and shutting down their best player, which is our top priority,” Ignacio girls head coach Shane Seibel said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “We’re ready to react and see what the defense give us.”
Ignacio’s roster is so deep that Seibel added that he’ll let Custer County’s defense decide which way his offense will go.
Hilda Garcia is Ignacio’s leading scorer with 14.7 points per game, but Avionne Gomez can explode with points at any given moment. Gomez had 21 points in Ignacio’s win over Dolores in the CHSAA Class 2A District 3 Tournament final on Saturday.
“Whoever has the best matchup, but hopefully the team can identify and capitalize on the opposing defense,” said Seibel. “That’s how our offense works. We don’t have set plays for players, it’s reading what the defense can give you.”
McKensie Penkoff leads Custer County with 9.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
The Ignacio boys (19-2) received the No. 2 seed, and will play a familiar foe in Mancos. The Bluejays (9-12) received the No. 7.
The boys side of the CHSAA Class 2A Region 1 Tournament will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday at Adams State University.
Ignacio beat Telluride, 60-27, in the CHSAA Class 2A District 3 final.
The win was Ignacio’s ninth straight regional win. The Bobcats consider getting to regionals as the true postseason.
“Winning districts is nice, but regionals is different,” said Ignacio boys head coach Chris Valdez. “Regionals will get us into state. We will turn it up a notch so I thin kthe vibe will be a little different.”
This will be the third time these two teams have met this year with Ignacio winning both games, 78-42 and 70-44.
In the first meeting, the Bluejays were without leading scorer Ro Paschal who is averaging 20.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. In the second game, Paschal played and had 17 points, but the Bobcats pressured the Bluejays all game.
“Our defense has been really good for us,” said Valdez. “Our defense will be something that will help us down the line and keep us in the game if offense isn’t clicking.”
Ignacio will lean heavily on its senior leadership. Wyatt Hayes will bring his 14.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 4.7 steals to this game, but the Bobcats have other options, too. Tucker Ward, Nicholas Herrera and Anthony Manzanares have all contributed greatly in the postseason.
“We’ll be ready for them,” said Valdez. “We have to play physical and play smart, it’s all those little things we have to do to win.”
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
