With 2:21 remaining in the first eight-minute quarter of play Thursday evening, senior post and team captain Solymar Cosio was hit with already her third personal foul – a situation Ignacio head coach Trae Seibel normally wishes to avoid.
But he also didn’t worry much Cosio had already netted 10 points of the Lady Bobcats’ eventual 24 before time expired, with visiting Bayfield managing only a free throw by senior guard Genesis Barrera in reply.
Barrera’s make brought the Lady Wolverines back to 9-1 – the closest BHS would get in what ended up being a 58-18 loss inside IHS Gymnasium.
Ignacio improved to 5-6 overall, 1-2 3A/4A Intermountain after the win. Bayfield fell to 3-7, 0-3 IML after the loss.
“It was good to see the girls bounce back after our practice last night,” said Seibel, whose squad lacked regulars Marissa Olguin and DaLaney Wesner. “We were just in our heads, we were missing a ton of shots, our offense wasn’t flowing …. What I wanted to reiterate to them was ‘Hey, next play!’ Keep moving forward, whether it’s a great play or you don’t make a great play – always have that mindset.”
Including a conventional three-point play with just 4.5 seconds left in the second quarter, chipping IHS’ lead at halftime down to 35-8, Bayfield junior guard/forward Renae Foutz, hounded primarily by Ignacio senior Maci Barnes, battled for a team-leading seven points in defeat.
“Maci always has a job, and her job is to take their best player and put the clamps on her,” Seibel stated. “Everybody else can then do their jobs. We needed the league win; that’s what was most important to me. We’ve got to pick up as many wins as we can in the tough IML.”
Senior guard Darlyn Mendoza-Lechuga sank two threes and totaled nine points during the third quarter – which ended with the Lady ’Cats up 48-16 – and ultimately finished with a game-high 16 points for Ignacio. Cosio coasted to a 12-point outing, while Barnes (who got the game started with a three-pointer), sophomore guard Alyssa Atencio and junior forward Victoria Brown each scored seven points.
The Lady ’Cats are slated to next see action Friday, Jan. 26, in La Jara at Centauri. Bayfield, meanwhile, was to host Pagosa Springs on the 20th, with the Lady Pirates (10-3, 3-0) having won 41-26 at Alamosa (8-5, 2-1) the previous evening.
