A wild finish to the third quarter sparked an offensive explosion in the fourth.
Bayfield senior Hayden Farmer hit a 3-point shot in the waning seconds of the third quarter, but Monte Vista’s David Mascarenas banked home a 3 of his own at the buzzer to cut the Bayfield Wolverines’ lead to 44-39. Each team scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, as Bayfield (7-4, 2-0 3A Intermountain League) held on for a 69-64 home win Thursday.
Farmer scored 14 of his team-high 20 points in the third quarter, while Mascarenas finished with a game-high 22 points for the Pirates (4-7, 0-3 IML).
“(Farmer) actually went inside and scored a bunch right there the beginning of the third,” BHS head coach Klint Chandler said. “It opened up the gap for us.”
Chandler wasn’t happy about giving up 25 points in the fourth quarter or after he saw his team go down 10-2 to start the game.
“That’s been our deal, we can’t show up and be ready to play at the beginning,” Chandler said. “I don’t know if we’re too hyped up. We gotta come out more level than starting way up and settling in.”
Monte Vista led 16-10 after one quarter, but Bayfield took a 26-25 lead into halftime, as James Mottin blocked a Monte Vista shot at the halftime buzzer.
Turner Kennedy, Ethan Morris and Keyon Prior all finished with 12 points for BHS. Kennedy hit back-to-back 3s in the fourth quarter to put BHS up 52-40 with 5:48 to play.
Jarred Chavez had 12 points for Monte Vista, while Darrius Garcia added 11.
The Wolverines will welcome No. 10 Centauri (9-2, 1-1 IML) at 7 p.m. Friday.
“They’re pretty good, too,” Chandler said. “Everybody in this league is pretty good. There’s no days off. We have to be ready to play again tomorrow.”
Girls Basketball
Girls BasketballThe Wolverines stretched their winning streak to four games Thursday.
Bayfield (5-4, 2-0 3A Intermountain League) held Monte Vista (3-8, 0-3 IML) to one made shot in the first quarter and built a 29-20 halftime lead. Potent defensive play led the way to a 57-36 win.
“We genuinely believe that if we play great defense on teams and limit our turnovers that we can be competitive with most teams,” said BHS head coach Josh Kitchen. “The girls are starting to understand the importance of tips, steals and making lives difficult. It’s paying off.”
Cayanne Carlson led BHS with 14 points. Maddy Oltmanns and Brooke Merchant each had 11, and Macee Schultz finished with nine.
Third-ranked Centauri (9-2, 1-1 IML) will visit the Wolverines at 5:30 p.m. Friday, weather depending.
“I have quite a bit of respect for that program, and it’s obviously what we aspire to be some day,” Kitchen said. “I think we’re on the right track. We have to go out and pay our dues. The goal tomorrow is to be competitive, show them we have been working hard and see where it leads us. It’s quite a challenge.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
