After losing its home opener against Pagosa Springs on Tuesday night, the Ignacio High School girls basketball team earned a win when it traveled to Glenwood Springs for the Mountain Top Classic.
The Bobcats (1-1) showcased a full-court defense that kept the Demons (0-1) from doing anything on offense, winning easily 45-24.
“Against Pagosa Springs, I didn’t have my girls prepared to play at their potential, so I changed some things,” Ignacio head coach Shane Seibel said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “(Thursday night) we were prepared and focused, and the girls now understand that we’re a full-court-press team. The girls responded well.”
Ignacio hung its hat on defense all night while staying out of foul trouble. The Bobcats didn’t allow a Glenwood Springs basket in the first quarter until there was 30 seconds left after opening on a 14-0 run. The Bobcats full-court defense clawed away steals and gave the Demons problems on the boards despite Glenwood Springs’ size advantage.
Ellie Seibel led all scorers with 12 points and four rebounds. Avionne Gomez contributed with nine points and led all players with seven rebounds.
“That was our big focus, we knew they are taller than us, but I told them they needed to win on the rebounds,” Seibel said. “We made an emphasis on rebounding, we couldn’t let (Glenwood Springs) get 2-3 shots. The girls blocked out really nicely.”
The Bobcats forced a lot of turnovers, and much of that was because of Christianne Valdez, who finished with five steals.
“That really kept the momentum going for us,” the coach said.
Ignacio went into half time with a 20-10 lead and extended that lead to 33-16 in the third quarter.
Hilde Garcia had nine points, five assists and two rebounds. Miriam Fernandez-Lopez came off the bench and had nine points.
Tatum Peterson led Glenwood Springs with eight points.
“We’re in our element, the girls came out focused and played well,” Seibel said. “We proved that we’re a good defensive team.”
Ignacio will play Centauri on Friday as part of the Mountain Top Classic. According to Seibel, Centauri plays a very similar style to the Bobcats as a half-court trap team.
jmentzer@durangoherlad.com
