Mancos stuns Ignacio girls basketball for first time since 2010

By John Livingston Herald Sports editor

Tuesday, Mar 2, 2021 10:43 PM Updated Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2021 11:23 PM

First Mancos win against Ignacio since 2010

The Mancos High School bench leaps up in celebration after defeating Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Shelcie Gosney of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Rhiley Montoya of Mancos High School and Charlize Valdez of Ignacio High School go for the ball on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Shelcie Gosney of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Ignacio High School girls basketball head coach Justa Whitt yells instructions to her team while playing Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Quincy Montoya of Mancos High School and Laci Brunson of Ignacio High School go for the ball on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Madi Hale of Mancos High School grabs a rebound over Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Shelcie Gosney of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Teya Yeomans of Mancos High School tries to save a loose ball while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Shelcie Gosney of Ignacio High School plays defense as she traps Teya Yeomans of Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The Mancos High School bench leaps up in celebration after defeating Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Madi Hale of Mancos High School puts up a 3-point shot over Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Brady McCaw of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Ignacio High School boys basketball head coach Chris Valdez watches his team play team against Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Evan Schnert of Mancos High School passes the ball off while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Kail Wayman of Mancos High School looks to pass the ball while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Bryce Finn of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Mancos High School Tuesday on night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Brady McCaw of Ignacio High School goes up in the air as he defends Connor Showalter of Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Dylan Labarthe of Ignacio High School blocks the shot of Chris Medina of Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Dylan Labarthe of Ignacio High School puts up a shot while playing Mancos High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Gabe Tucson of Ignacio High School and Chris Medina of Mancos High School battle for a loose ball on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Connor Showalter of Mancos High School puts up a shot while playing Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The Mancos High School girls basketball team was already enjoying a breakout season behind athletic play. But Tuesday night’s upset victory few could have seen coming.

Class 2A No. 10 Ignacio High School was stunned on its home floor by the Bluejays, which would be ranked No. 18 if the poll extended past the top 15. The Bobcats went down 20-8 at halftime and would get as close as 31-27 on one of Jayden Brunson’s four 3-pointers of the game, but Mancos would go back up 37-29 before closing out the 38-32 victory.

Rhiley Montoya of Mancos High School and Charlize Valdez of Ignacio High School go for the ball on Tuesday night in Ignacio.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Mancos (8-3, 6-2 2A/1A San Juan Basin League) was strong in the rebounding department, and Ignacio (8-3, 5-1 SJBL) struggled to see shots fall. Brunson scored 13 points for IHS with nine in the second half.

Junior guard Rhiley Montoya led the Bluejays with a game-high 14 points, while freshman Madi Hale finished with 11 and Teya Yeomans, another freshman, had seven points.

Laci Brunson would score nine for Ignacio, while Shelcie Gosney was the team’s third-leading scorer with four points.

Mancos had a quick start to take a 4-0 lead and would hold an 8-3 advantage after one quarter. Montoya then hit a 3 to open the second quarter followed by another during a 14-0 Mancos run.

Madi Hale of Mancos High School puts up a 3-point shot over Ignacio High School on Tuesday night in Ignacio.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Hale, who had six of her points in the first quarter, was able to work around three first-half fouls to continue to be a factor in the second half.

It was a stunning result after Ignacio had already run through Mancos 48-25 on Feb. 16 in Mancos. It was the first time Mancos had even come within single digits of Ignacio since Valentine’s Day of 2014 and was the Bluejays’ first win against the Bobcats since it took two out of three games with Ignacio during the 2009-10 season.

IHS will close out the regular season at 5 p.m. Thursday at Dove Creek, which stands undefeated at 11-0 and 6-0 in the San Juan Basin League. Then, the Bobcats will find out their state playoff fate Monday when brackets are revealed.

jlivingston@durangoherald.com