When Taylor dropped the Lee-Hammer Tuesday evening, it all but nailed shut Ignacio's fate.
Welcoming the defending Class 3A State Champions to IHS Gymnasium to tip off the 2015-16 season, the Bobcats had just about completed the climb out of a 10-0 first-quarter hole as halftime was just over one second away. But Pagosa Springs' senior point guard had space, opportunity, and the hottest hand in the house.
Already with a three-pointer for her first basket, and also 7-of-8 free-throw shooting, Lee-Hammer let fly from midcourt and buried the buzzer-beater-increasing PSHS' dwindling lead to a more comfortable 25-18 at the break, en route to a 58-37 road win.
She'd finish with a game-best 23 points, including 12-of-14 work at the stripe (where the visitors as a whole were 21-of-31), and combined with forward Morgan Lewis (14 points, 2-6 FT) to equal the home side's entire output as IHS never found a consistent outside shot.
On the inside, however, there was hope as senior Ellie Seibel netted a team-high ten points and Alejandra Lujan scrapped for seven, though the duo's combined 7-15 charity shooting left room for improvement (Ignacio was 11-of-22 as a team as well).
Sophomore guard Avionne Gomez managed six points and senior exchange student Miriam Fernandez came off Shane Seibel's bench to chip in four points, but sophomore Hilda Garcia-last season's breakout performer-was hounded constantly and totaled just six for IHS (0-1, 0-0 2A/1A San Juan Basin).
Senior Madi Lewis, shut down early by some strong defending, scored all nine of her points in the second half for the Lady Pirates (1-0, 0-0 3A Intermountain), as PSHS won the third and fourth quarters by a 33-19 margin.
Up next Ignacio will compete at the Centauri-hosted Mountain Top Classic, though the site for this year's three-day event will actually be inside the Falcons' nest in La Jara rather than Adams State University in Alamosa.
IHS will face CHS tonight at around 7 p.m., then test 2A Rye tomorrow at 10 a.m. Results from last night's tourney opener against Glenwood Springs (0-0, 0-0 4A Western Slope) were unavailable at press time.
