Leading 19-13 after one quarter, Tim Fitzpatrick wasn’t pleased with the play of his team’s defense.
Fitzpatrick, head coach of the Durango High School girls basketball team, questioned the effort his players were giving on the defensive end. The girls answered in a big way, holding rival Montezuma-Cortez to only two points in the second quarter to take a commanding 34-15 lead into the locker room.
The Demons (6-3) only added to their advantage against the Panthers in a 59-31 win.
“We came out and worked really hard and wanted to prove to (Fitzpatrick) and show everybody else we could close them out,” sophomore guard Lily Chick said.
Taylor Edwards was on fire from the opening tip for Durango. The senior center had 12 of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter on 5-of-6 shooting and a pair of made free throws.
She said she wanted to come out and set a tone against a rival team.
“We’ve been working really hard to get the post going inside,” Edwards said. “We’re working on ways to get the posts engaged better because we don’t want to put all the stress on our guards. Those inside-out looks are giving us a better variety of shots up.”
Katrina Chandler opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and a quick made jumper to give her 14 points in the first half. She finished with 16.
Chick gave the Demons a spark with three steals in the first half. The Demons forced 15 first-half turnovers, including 10 in the first quarter.
Chick also received a loud ovation from the crowd when she made the first of her two 3-pointers in the game.
“I hadn’t made one all year, so seeing one go through was really exciting,” she said. “That’s the best feeling in the world.”
Montezuma-Cortez’s cold shooting continued in the second half. The Panthers didn’t score for more than 8 minutes of game play until Cortney Cashner made a free throw in the middle of the third quarter. Leriah Clay made the team’s first field goal in more than 9 minutes of play later in the quarter, and the Demons led 48-20 going into the final quarter.
Payton Keith led the Panthers (1-3) in scoring with 11 points. Myra Simmons added six.
Edwards added seven rebounds to go with her 18 points. Stephanie Basye had eight points and five rebounds in the post, too.
“We went away from the post Tuesday night when we needed those buckets,” Fitzpatrick said, referencing a 43-36 home loss to Farmington two nights earlier. “We really wanted to go inside and get Steph and Taylor going.”
Fitzpatrick said his team worked hard for 32 minutes, which is what he wanted to see before a two-week break as the Demons battled fatigue the last week.
DHS will come out of the break with a big road game at Pagosa Springs at 7 p.m. Jan. 3.
“It will be good to get into practice and really work on some things,” Fitzpatrick said. “We will get another player eligible in two more games who’s really going to help us. When she’s out there, we will be a lot better team.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
