The Ignacio High School boys basketball team came out flat in the first half against Montezuma-Cortez on Saturday night, but a second-half surge from senior Wyatt Hayes gave the Bobcats the 63-58 road win.
Hayes had only four points in the first half but exploded for 25 points in the second to finish with a game-high of 29 to lead the Bobcats to the victory. Hayes also finished with six assists, six rebounds and four steals. Hayes tried to get everyone involved, but Ignacio’s shots were not falling. He also finished the game with four 3-pointers.
“We came out flat as heck in the first half,” Ignacio head coach Chris Valdez said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “We just weren’t looking good at all.”
Ignacio (6-0, 2-0 San Juan Basin League) was held to just 14 points in the first half against Montezuma-Cortez (3-4), but scored 28 points in the third quarter and 21 points in the fourth. At the end of the third quarter, sophomore Johnny Valdez hit a half-court shot to put the Bobcats up 42-40, giving Ignacio momentum for the final quarter.
“It was nice to see your team pull together and play together,” Valdez said. “It was good for us to be down for most of the game and hit some big shots. That half-court shot gave us the spark we needed going into the fourth quarter. I saw a lot of positives.”
Up next for the Bobcats is a trip Friday to Mancos.
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
