The Ignacio High School boys basketball team will welcome area rival Bayfield High School to battle once again in the Pine River Rivalry.
Ignacio (9-1, 4-0 2A/1A San Juan League) will look to continue its successful season and dominance over Bayfield (4-7, 0-2 3A Intermountain League), and the Wolverines will try and figure out how to slow down the Bobcats’ offense.
Ignacio is coming off a 79-47 home win over Dove Creek while Bayfield will look to recover from a heartbreaking home loss to Monte Vista, 54-46. Both games were played on January 22.
“(Bayfield) is going to come out ready to play after the loss (Friday night),” Ignacio head coach Chris Valdez said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “They are physical, big and talented. They haven’t put it together yet, but they will. We have to keep them at bay and use our speed and quickness. Hopefully our speed and physical play will match them.”
Ignacio won last year’s meeting 67-42 at Bayfield behind court general Wyatt Hayes who led the Bobcats with 22 points, eight assists, six steals and five rebounds. If Bayfield wants a chance at this game, the Wolverines will have to shut down Hayes. The Bobcats’ senior guard is averaging 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 5.1 steals per game this season and is the piston that keeps Ignacio’s engine running.
“It’s going to take a team effort, they have a lot of experience and quality players,” Bayfield head coach Jeff Lehnus said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “They are tough without a lot of weaknesses, the way you beat (Ignacio) is by having an excellent defensive effort. We have to take care of the basketball and not be passive.”
Along with Hayes, Bayfield will have its hands full with seniors Anthony Manzanares and Nicholas Herrera. Manzanares had 13 points and four rebounds in last year’s meeting.
Herrera had six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
“We know we have a challenge in front of us,” Lehnus said. “I expect us to come out and compete and give our best and see what happens. I always believe in that anything’s possible.”
For Bayfield, the Wolverines will lean on Tae Heydinger, Ryan Phelps and Zane Phelps. Heydinger is averaging 13.9 points and 2.3 steals per game. Ryan Phelps is averaging 7.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Zane Phelps led the Wolverines with a double-double in last season’s battle. He had a monster game on the glass as he had 15 rebounds to go along with 12 points.
Ignacio is averaging just above 63 points a game while Bayfield is putting up 60. Bayfield will need to take advantage of its size as the Wolverines are averaging 41.5 rebounds a game versus Ignacio’s 31.3 rebounds per game. Ignacio has the advantage in assists and steals. The Bobcats are averaging an astounding 18.8 assists per game and 13.3 steals per game. Both Bayfield and Ignacio are even in the blocks category at 2.4 per game.
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Ignacio High School.
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who: Bayfield at Ignacio
What: High school boys basketball
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Ignacio High School
Twitter: @jonathanmentzer
