It wasn’t hard to tell why the Palisade High School boys basketball team is ranked as the top team in 5A as the Bulldogs pulled away from Durango in the second half for a comfortable 57-42 road win.
Durango played zone defense for most of the game, and Palisade moved the ball quickly and beautifully, finding the open spots for easy shots. The Bulldogs had more composure than the Demons, which was struggling with turnovers. Palisade went on a run to blow the game open in the third, showing Durango’s young team that it has a long way to go to compete at the top of the league.
“There were three occasions that they went on a 6-0 or an 8-0 run, and that was the game right there,” Durango head coach Alan Batiste said. “We try to minimize that and not get to that point ... We’re just trying to have the boys not go back to bad habits that we’ve had when we got blown out earlier in the season. It’s the difference between wanting to execute as a team versus an individual trying to make something happen.”
Durango dropped to 4-14 overall and 0-7 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League. Junior guard King Kerlin led the Demons with 19 points.
Palisade improved to 17-2 overall and 5-2 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League. The Bulldog trio of Hunter Howard, Carter Hayward and Todd Nordenson each scored 12 points for Palisade.
Durango came out in a zone defense, with limited success, as the Bulldogs moved the ball beautifully, finding the open man on the perimeter and in the middle of the zone. Kerlin had the response by getting downhill and into the paint. The Demons did a great job beating the Bulldogs down the floor. A Batiste layup gave Durango a 12-6 lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
“We’re trying to minimize and keep it simple for the boys, not having to cover so much ground,” Batiste said about Durango’s zone defense. “Big 33, (Nordenson) you’ve got to hold him accountable in that lane. We tried to do something new, and our 23 (zone) has been looking good ... it’s not just the coaches’ decision, it’s also the players’ decision.”
As quickly as Durango got up six, Palisade responded with back-to-back open 3-pointers to retie the game at 12. The Bulldogs ended the quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 14-12 lead into the second quarter.
Palisade slowly built up its lead in the second quarter as Durango struggled with turnovers and to get good looks. Howard hit a 3-pointer and junior Rye Gingerich finished inside as the Bulldogs led 27-17 going into the half.
Durango’s turnovers didn’t go away in the third quarter, with the Demons throwing some sloppy passes in the backcourt early in the third. Palisade continued to have composure against the Durango zone, moving the ball until there was an open shot. Two 3-pointers and a put back extended Palisade’s lead to 40-21 with 1:20 left in the third. The Bulldogs led 44-24 after three quarters.
“They're just hard-nosed, blue-collar kids that respect their opponents, their coaches, their staff and their system,” Batiste said about Palisade. “I’m not saying that’s not what we do, but they stay consistent with what they do, and that toughness goes a long way.”
The fourth quarter was a formality, with the Bulldogs continuing to penetrate and finish. Nordenson couldn’t be stopped inside as he towered over the Durango defenders with his NFL tight end frame. Durango had some good offensive moments in the fourth with the bench in.
Durango plays at Pueblo East on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
