The Bayfield High School boys basketball team needed everything in its tank to stave off a ferocious comeback from Alamosa on Saturday evening to earn a 38-35 win on the road.
In the second matchup between the two teams in five days, it came down to another thrilling finish. Keyon Prior played hero once again in his storied athletic career, as he sank the two game-winning free throws with 11 seconds remaining after he was fouled on a transition layup opportunity with the game tied at 35.
The Wolverines (10-4, 5-0 3A Intermountain League) led by a 11 points, 21-10, coming out of the locker room at halftime after they scored the final 10 points of the first half. The Mean Moose were never going to give in at their home gym.
BHS led 27-13 with more than 4:30 remaining in the third quarter. The Mean Moose (8-7, 3-3 IML) responded with a 3-pointer to bring it within 11. They were just getting started, as they trimmed the lead to six at the end of the third.
In the fourth, Bayfield still could not break out of the slump, and Alamosa clawed its way back to within one as 27-26 behind a 13-0 run.
Bayfield coach Klint Chandler called a timeout to gather his team. He knew they were in it for the final whistle.
“I called the timeout because we really needed it,” Chandler said. “We were turning the ball over and they kept attacking the basket. I probably should have changed the defense when they started the run in the third. But after the timeout, we started going back to what worked.”
Turner Kennedy hit a 3-pointer to make it 30-26 for Bayfield’s first basket since midway through the third quarter. That was the bucket that propelled BHS.
“In the drought, I was just thinking we had to stay calm and play good defense,” Kennedy said. “They scored double the amount of points they had in the first half, and so down the stretch we really had to step up because, offensively, it wasn’t clicking. Once that 3 went down, it was huge just to get a bit of a relief because we hadn’t hit anything at all until then.”
The teams would trade baskets the rest of the way, and it came down to the final seconds again. The Mean Moose had a chance to take the lead late but missed a golden chance, as they would miss two free throws.
The Wolverines quickly transitioned and found a streaking Prior, who went up for a layup and was fouled with 11 seconds left. He made 2-of-2 to give BHS a 37-35 lead. The Mean Moose had one last chance, but Ethan Morris got a deflection that hit an Alamosa player. On the ensuing inbound play, Prior was fouled, went to the line and made 1-of-2, and a game-tying shot from Alamosa was off the mark at the buzzer.
“We did just enough to get the win,” Chandler said. “The crowd was really loud, especially down the stretch there. I was proud of our guys showing composure, I mean, when you can’t score for almost a quarter, and they got back into it the way they did, it was just a tough one to pull out. Keyon stepped up, Ethan was huge for us and made two big-time 3s plus the late deflection, and Turner broke the drought for us. It took a lot, but we got two road wins in two nights.”
Kennedy and Morris led Bayfield with 11 points each, while Hayden Farmer had eight.
Chad Jackson had 13 points for the Mean Moose, while Brenden Crowther had 11.
BHS will have its fourth game in six days when it will host Centauri (10-3, 2-2 IML) at 7 p.m. Monday at Bayfield High School.
Girls Basketball
Girls BasketballThe Bayfield High School girls basketball team was unable to find its offense in the second half of Saturday afternoon’s game against the Mean Moose and fell 53-24.
The Wolverines (5-7, 2-3 IML) got off to a steady start and were down by only three at one point in the quarter before Alamosa ended the half on a 4-0 spurt to lead 20-13.
In the third quarter, the Mean Moose (11-4, 5-1 IML) scored the first 14 points of the half before the Wolverines got on the board. By that time, it was 34-15 and Alamosa never looked back, as it led 38-16 by the end of the third. In the fourth, Bayfield scored eight points, but it was not enough, as the Mean Moose continued to roll on offense.
“In the first half, and pretty much the whole game, our defense kept them at bay,” said BHS coach Josh Kitchen. “Alamosa kept putting pressure on us, and they really won the transition game. It seemed like they went on that run to start the second half in under two minutes. We committed a few turnovers, and they got us.”
Bayfield will take on No. 5 Centauri (10-3, 2-2 IML) at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Bayfield High School.
“We play three of the top eight teams in the state in four days,” Kitchen said. “We really are playing the best of the best, and it’s a good way for us to measure up to see where we are. We’re going to get a good taste to see what it’s like to play at the next level. We want to show the league that we can play with them.”
The Ignacio High School girls basketball team remained undefeated in 2A/1A San Juan Basin League play with a convincing 60-23 win over Nucla on Saturday afternoon on the road.
The Bobcats (9-4, 8-0 SJBL) got off to a good start and led 12-6 after the first quarter, as Shelcie Gosney scored six points in the quarter. The Bobcats then took off on the offensive end, as they outscored Nucla 21-9 to lead 33-15 at the break.
“We got off to a bit of a slow start there, but we got it together,” said IHS head coach Justa Whitt. “We were out a couple of players with Jayden (Brunson) and Charlize (Valdez), and despite being a little short at the guard positions, we were OK.”
The Bobcats would go on to score 28 points in the second half and were stout on defense, as they allowed zero points in the third and eight in the fourth, mostly late baskets in the final minutes of the game.
“We had even scoring across the board tonight, and it just came from good passing and being unselfish with the basketball,” Whitt said. “We were good at the free-throw line and had good transitions, played solid defense. We need to get better offensively with a lot of missed shots, but it’s still a good work-in-progress win.”
IHS was led by Makayla Howell, who scored a game-high 13 points, including going 5-of-5 from the foul line. Gosney finished with 11 points and Ebonee Gomez had 10. The Mustangs (5-7, 2-5 SJBL) were led by Ashley Steele with nine points.
Ignacio will host Telluride Friday at Ignacio High School.
bploen@durangoherald.com
