Twice the Sanford Indians had kept the Ignacio High School boys basketball team out of a state championship game. Another time, with Ignacio hosting a regional in Durango, Sanford kept head coach Chris Valdez and the Bobcats out of the Great 8 of state. To open perhaps the strangest season of high school basketball in the history of Colorado, Ignacio went to Sanford and lost again this year.
So when the two teams met Thursday night in Sanford with a spot in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 2A Great 8 round of the boys basketball state tournament, history wasn’t on the side of the Ignacio Bobcats.
And when senior guard Brady McCaw went down minutes into the game after falling to the floor hard and injuring an arm, an 8-2 Bobcats lead suddenly turned into a 20-18 halftime deficit.
But the Ignacio Bobcats didn’t blink and took on the tenacity of their head coach and delivered him one of the biggest wins of his career with a 51-39 triumph against the Indians, coached by Rhett Larsen, the man Valdez considers the best coach in the state regardless of classification.
“To keep them out of the Great 8 of the state tournament, this one is special,” Valdez said. “For us in 2A, usually you’re not at state until the Great 8. You’re at regionals to get to the Great 8. This year is different, but I told the boys you’re not really at state unless you’re in that final eight, and they were screaming that the entire way back to Alamosa on the bus.
“Sanford is still up a few wins on us. They’re a great team and a great program. But it feels good to beat the best every now and then.”
McCaw had already scored four points before he went down with the injury after he left his feet to try to block a shot and fell hard to the ground. IHS junior Gabe Tucson picked up for the lost senior in brilliant fashion, as he scored 25 points to lead Ignacio (14-2) to the win.
“I just pretend like it was a blacktop out there, just having fun with your friends, being you and playing with confidence,” Tucson said.
When McCaw was on the floor for nearly five minutes, Tucson said the team huddled together. The goal was to rally and find a way to continue the careers of the team’s seniors, including McCaw.
“It’s tough when you lose one of your best players, but when your kids have hearts as big as a watermelon, they pulled us through,” Valdez said. “Our kids worked their tails off, and Gabe had the most unbelievable single performance you’ll see in your life.
“He was on target hitting step-ins and step-backs; he hit two 3s in the third quarter when we were tied and two more in the fourth quarter and made four free throws in a row in the fourth when Sanford got a technical. Gabe wanted it, and he turned in one of those exceptional games where you could tell he was simply the best player on the floor for either team.”
Valdez said they drew up a few plays at halftime they felt like could work against Sanford. Early in the third quarter, IHS hit a few baskets on those plays to give the Bobcats the confidence they needed to know they could win.
Bryce Finn scored 12 points for IHS, while Dylan Labarthe scored nine. Finn did all of his damage with inside baskets and four free throws.
Valdez praised the defensive effort of senior Jawadin Corona and sophomore Eppie Quintana. They helped Ignacio hold Cash Caldon, a Sanford freshman, to only two points after he had burned Ignacio badly in the season opener with 3-point baskets.
“We had to switch to a 2-3 zone, and our fast guys up top played fantastic defense with it,” Valdez said. “Eppie also has great handles but is kind of shy with it being a younger guy. He had to step up, and we saw it today with him handling the ball for us.”
On the other side of the bracket, No. 9 Mancos (13-3) fell 57-52 at No. 8 Sedgwick County (11-4) on Thursday night. Sedgwick County will now face No. 1 Wray (13-0) in the Great 8.
Ignacio will face No. 2 Limon (14-1) in the Great 8. Originally scheduled for Saturday, games have been moved to Monday because of a winter storm expected to dump multiple feet of snow across the high country. Unless Ignacio can travel Sunday night, Valdez believes the game could get pushed back as far as Tuesday.
Ignacio was able to beat Limon on the road a year ago, 62-54. The Bobcats will hope for similar luck with a spot in the final four on the line.
“This feels good to bring this win back for our community and get us back to state,” Tucson said. “We are confident, but we are going to stay humble, stick to our assignments and be ready to give Limon a game.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
