A state championship banner won’t be raised inside the Durango High School gymnasium. The Demons won’t raise a trophy in Denver. But Durango has a championship boys basketball team, nonetheless.
Durango’s chance at a state title was ripped away in one second Wednesday night in the Sweet 16 of the Class 4A state tournament. Leading 43-40 as the clock hit zeros and the buzzer sounded, a late shot off the hands of Evergreen’s Bridger Tenney went through the hoop and was counted by the referees. Video review is not allowed by the Colorado High School Activities Association. There was nothing the referees could do to reverse the decision, no matter the evidence. There was nothing the Demons could do but race back onto the court after the elation of winning a game was reduced to dismay in a matter of a few breaths.
The Demons thought they at last had a game-winning moment when senior Kyle Kirkpatrick hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play in overtime. Again, Evergreen took the air out of the team’s lungs with another buzzer-beater, this a 15-foot jump shot from senior Rhys Sayler. It gave the No. 13 Cougars a 52-51 win to advance to the Elite 8. It gave them their first 20-win season in program history.
For Durango, it ended one of the most remarkable seasons in program history, with 21 wins, four losses.
The scene in the two locker rooms after the game couldn’t have been more different. Evergreen, rightfully, was a team on top of the world. Durango was overcome with the emotions of a crushing defeat as players walked into the locker room. But the Demons walked back out with the heart of a champion.
“That’s the beautiful thing about sports,” DHS assistant coach Dalon Parker told supporters waiting to embrace the team. “It doesn’t always go your way. You have to be lucky and good. That’s life.”
Not once did head coach Alan Batiste or the players mention the referees. They shouldered the loss, blaming missed opportunities at the free-throw line and a lack of execution defensively.
Poise and maturity. Two words that came to define the team when the final chapter was written.
“We’ve learned a lot about life in general,” Kirkpatrick said. “How to be a better person. How to have fun. How to come together as brothers. How to love each other no matter what.
“I saw guys grow. We all grew. Every guy had their moment. It was special.”
Not only did the Demons grow, so did their fan base. Wednesday night’s game was rocking, especially in the second half when DHS erased a nine-point halftime deficit in a matter of five possessions.
Durango is becoming a basketball town. With nationally competitive programs at Fort Lewis College, DHS boys and girls programs both reaching the Sweet 16 of their respective state tournaments and players proving to have the skill to play at the college level, it’s an exciting time for fans to get behind the area teams.
“They were there for us all year,” DHS senior forward Steven Wyman said of the fans after his 25-point effort Wednesday. “They’re the best and did the world for us this year.”
The DHS boys had a season worth remembering beyond the way it ended.
The team won its first league championship since 2007. But the Demons don’t play in any ordinary league. The geographical challenges in this region put the Demons in a league with three much larger Class 5A schools and one other 4A team in Montrose. Fruita Monument, Grand Junction and Grand Junction Central should, on paper, beat the Demons every year. Those schools pull talent from a much larger pool, have more basketball resources to develop players at a young age and have more competitive teams in their proximity to routinely play against. Despite all its disadvantages, Durango delivered in a big way. That league championship banner will be a worthy addition to the DHS gym for the Demons’ 14 boys to see any time they return to their alma mater.
“Coaches talk about how Durango rarely gets respect for not only basketball but any sport,” Kirkpatrick said. “To have the four-seed in the state tournament and for the community inside Durango and this school to realize how good we were and support us, it was an amazing experience.”
Should CHSAA change its policies on review to help the referees make the right call? Absolutely. Are there enough resources available in 2017 to make sure mistakes like Wednesday’s aren’t made? You bet. But what Durango should take away from Wednesday is the example set by the Demons’ coaches and players during the 2017-17 season.
“I hope the guys come back next year and keep up this Durango legacy we want to establish,” Wyman said. “Play our basketball and our style. Keep the respect for our community and bring back another winning season.”
John Livingston is the sports editor at The Durango Herald. He can be reached at jlivingston@durangoherald.com and on Twitter @jlivi2.
