The Bayfield High School boys basketball team knew it would take some time to get into the flow of basketball following the football season, and it appears the Wolverines have made the transition pretty quickly following their 73-52 win against Blanding, Utah’s, San Juan High School (2-3) on Friday night at BHS.
“We’re starting to see some of the guys come back into the game of basketball – the flow and the feel, and it was good to see,” BHS head coach Jeff Lehnus said. “But of course it’s right time for the winter break. The irony.”
Lehnus said it was good to see the Wolverines (2-3) not let up after building a big lead early in the game, as they did last week against Salida, and praised the team’s ability to play inside out.
Dax Snooks led the Wolverines with 26 points behind four made 3-pointers. Ryan Phelps recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. McKay Wells added 10 points, and Dawson Heide, who missed last season with injury, came off the bench to grab eight rebounds.
It wasn’t all roses for the Wolverines, who struggled at the free-throw line and made only 6-of-17 attempts.
Bayfield also got a scare from Turner Kennedy, who slammed on the floor hard and suffered a shoulder injury. Lehnus said it was too soon to know, but feared Kennedy may have suffered a broken collar bone.
Bayfield will play Colorado Springs Christian (3-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday in Colorado Springs.
Foul trouble doomed the Igancio High School boys basketball team to its first loss of the season, as the Bobcats (2-1) fell to Grand County High School (5-1) out of Moab, Utah, 56-48 at the Montezuma-Cortez tournament Friday night in Cortez.
“We got into foul trouble and we’re not a deep team,” IHS head coach Chris Valdez said.
“We sat some guys out who we need in the game if we’re going to win. We got down by as many as 15 or 16 points early in the fourth and made a good run at them to get to within six with about a minute to go. We fouled and they made their shots and we couldn’t get anything else to go in.”
Johnny Valdez led the Bobcats with 22 points and snagged five steals and five rebounds.
Kai Roubideaux had eight points and eight rebounds to go with three assists and three steals, and Lawrence Valdez added seven points and four assists.
The Bobcats will face Basalt (1-5) in the tournament at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“They’re going to be tough for us because they’re fast, they press and they’ve got a little bit of height,” Valdez said of Basalt.
“If we stay out of foul trouble, our five guys can play with anybody, but if we get into foul trouble and have to go to the bench we can get in a bad way.”
The Durango High School wrestling team got off to a tough start at the Warrior Classic hosted by Grand Junction Central on Friday in Grand Junction.
The Demons picked up 15.5 points on the first day of the two-day tournament and sit in 38th place out of 42 teams.
Grand Junction leads after the first day with 146 points.
Rashaad Liggins accounted for seven of the Demons’ points. The 195-pound senior earned a pin against Rifle’s Pedro Carreon and earned a 9-4 decision against Eagle Valley’s Cody Ponce.
Kaleb McMunn (170 pounds) recorded five points with a 4-3 decision against Thompson Valley’s Tate Smack, and a 5-1 decision against Fruita Monument’s Keith Everett.
Jordan Belt (160) picked up 16-0 technical fall against Korbin Brons of Fountain Fort Carson and Austin Albrecht (182) earned a 13-7 decision against Cedaredge’s Cody Ponce.
The Demons’ run at the tournament will continue Saturday.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
