The Durango High School girls basketball team used depth and a balanced scoring attack to pull out a gritty win Friday night against Grand Junction on the road.
The Demons (13-8, 4-2 5A/4A Southwestern League) were led by Jael Larson and Emma Fitzgerald, as the seniors each scored nine points. Mason Rowland had eight, while Maddy McManus and Brenna Wolf had seven points each.
“I’m proud of the kids. We played well and they did what they needed to do for the win,” said DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick. “Grand Junction made a bit of a run toward the end and cut it down to seven, and I’m really proud of all of them. We shared the basketball and had balanced scoring tonight. We got big minutes off of the bench. I thought Kyle Rowland played a real solid basketball game, and they took care of business.”
Grand Junction (7-14, 0-6 SWL) cut the DHS lead to seven points at one point in the second half but could get no closer.
Durango will stay on the Western Slope to take on Fruita Monument (19-2, 5-1 SWL) at noon Saturday in Fruita.
“It’s a challenge, but my girls don’t back down from those,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know they’re gonna come out and compete tomorrow.”
After a slow and sloppy first quarter, the Bayfield High School girls basketball team outscored Monte Vista 22-2 in the second quarter, and the Wolverines pulled away for a 53-18 win Friday at BHS.
The Wolverines (7-10, 3-6 3A Intermountain League) were led by Madison Oltmanns with 12 points, while Aubree Farmer had 10 off of the bench. Macee Schulz was big down low on defense, as she had double-digit blocks to deny the Pirates (2-13, 0-7 IML) easy baskets.
“We started sloppy in the first, but we righted the ship at the end of the quarter,” said BHS head coach Josh Kitchen. “We won the second quarter big time, and after that slow start, we really picked our heads up. We kept fighting after making a few dumb turnovers, and then we didn’t turn the ball over at all in the second. We ran a strong offense and had a good defense.”
BHS will play Sargent (8-7, 3-1 2A Southern Peaks) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for senior night in a makeup game that was initially postponed so BHS could schedule a makeup game with Alamosa.
Boys basketball
Boys basketballIsaac Ross sparked the Bayfield High School boys basketball team Friday night against Monte Vista in Bayfield after he made a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter.
The shot propelled Bayfield to close the fourth quarter strong, and the Wolverines held on to a 53-37 win for their third win of the season.
The Wolverines (3-15, 2-7 IML) were led by Landon Kennedy with 19 points. Crosby Edwards had 10, including six in the fourth quarter, and Hunter Bayles had eight points. Bayles also had a big night in the rebounding department.
“Isaac hit that big shot, and we stepped it up from there,” said BHS head coach Klint Chandler. “Monte Vista came out a bit more aggressive in the second half, and I don’t think we matched that until the end of the quarter. That shot really helped us, and it got us going in the fourth. Hunter was huge for us, and same with Landon. We were pretty balanced tonight, and it was a good win.”
Monte Vista (6-10, 2-6 IML) was led by Tyrese Otero and Nick Torrez, who both scored eight, while Daniel Vargas had seven.
BHS will play Pagosa Springs (9-10, 3-6 IML) at 7 p.m. Friday to end the regular season.
Poor free-throw shooting from Durango cost the Demons big down the stretch in Friday’s game at Grand Junction.
The Demons (9-12, 0-6 SWL) led by five with 4 minutes, 30 seconds remaining but could not close out the game once they got into the bonus. DHS shot just 4-of-19 from the free-throw line. DHS was led by Jordan Woolverton with 14 points, while Martin Cuntz had 12.
As a result of plenty of missed opportunities, the Tigers (3-18, 2-4 SWL) finished strong and stole the win.
“Grand Junction is a good team and play a tough schedule, but we should’ve held on,” said DHS head coach Alan Batiste. “We put in a new offense yesterday to spread the floor. Grand Junction was trying to get aggressive, and they fouled us. We didn’t make our free throws. It’s as simple as that, and it’s frustrating.”
DHS will play Fruita Monument (16-5, 6-0 SWL) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Fruita.
“We’ve got to get ready for tomorrow, because it won’t get any easier,” Batiste said.
bploen@durangoherald.com
