The Durango High School girls basketball team needed a wake-up call in the second half Saturday at Montrose. They got it.
The Demons (11-6, 2-1 4/5A Southwestern League) held a narrow, two-point advantage at halftime but came alive late behind a feisty defensive effort led by Lily Chick and Emma Hackett. The relentless pressure sparked the team, and DHS ran away with a 47-29 win.
Katrina Chandler led all scorers with 15 points, while Taylor Edwards and Hilda Garcia added 10 each. Chick finished with six points and, along with Hackett, provided a shift in the outcome that won’t be found in the score book.
“We came out slow and just lacked the energy we usually play with,” assistant coach Orlando Griego said. “I challenged the girls at halftime, and Emma and Lily really responded well. They caused havoc on defense, and the other girls just fed off of their effort.”
Up 18-16 at halftime, the defensive spark led the charge in the second half as Durango pulled away. DHS outscored the Indians 29-13 in the last 16 minutes and cruised to victory.
Durango will try to keep the winning formula in tact at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Ignacio at Fort Lewis College’s Whalen Gymnasium.
Emotions ran high Saturday at Norwood.
With a massive discrepancy in free throws and frustration bowling over with 22 missed layups, the Ignacio Bobcats had a hard time keeping composure in a 35-26 loss to Norwood.
IHS head coach Shane Seibel was whistled for a technical foul in the fourth quarter of the loss.
“It was one of the ugliest games we’ve played,” Seibel said. “We didn’t play very good, and Norwood was prepared. I got caught up in some officiating.
“It was very emotional. But we need to stay positive, and I need to stay focused and not let the refs get me. They’re human, and everyone makes mistakes. But they’re doing the best they can and aren’t trying to cheat us. I can’t get caught up in that.”
IHS (9-4, 6-1 2A San Juan Basin League) shot only five free throws to 24 for the mavericks (11-3, 7-1 SJBL). It was a key league showdown, but the Bobcats weren’t at their best coming off a serious flu bug and two road games already in the week.
“We had great entry passes into the post, but we couldn’t make layups,” Seibel said. “We had opportunities.”
Avionne Gomez had seven points and eight steals. Morgan Herrera, in her first game in a week after missing two games with the flu, had eight points. Larissa Gallegos had six points, and Kiana Valdez added five steals.
IHS will play a big game against Class 4A Durango at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Whalen Gymnasium on the Fort Lewis College campus.
“We just need to find our shooting touch again and get ready for Tuesday,” Seibel said.
Boys Basketball
Boys BasketballA low-scoring rivalry game tested the Demons’ mettle Saturday in Montrose.
The Montrose Indians made a pair of dramatic 3-pointers to tie the game at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime Saturday to push Durango High School’s boys basketball team into a second overtime.
But the Demons (14-3, 2-2 SWL) made free throws in the second OT to secure a win.
“They packed in a zone, and it was hard for us to score,” DHS head coach Alan Batiste said. “We had to cherish possessions when we got the ball, and we didn’t hit shots like we did (Friday night) against (Grand Junction Central).”
Batiste said his team led 21-11 at halftime but shot only 1-of-10 in the third quarter to see the lead slip away. Missing free throws kept the game close in the fourth, and the Indians (6-13, 0-5 SWL) hit a 26-footer to tie the game. Against, Montrose made a long 3 at the end of the first OT, this time a bank shot.
“In the second OT, we got the stops we needed, hit our free throws and stayed in a lead,” Batiste said.
DHS is running away with the 4A portion of the league, but the Demons have designs of winning the league with a pair of big games still to come against Grand Junction (11-7, 4-0 SWL).
First is a contest Tuesday against Class 2A Ignacio.
A big first-quarter advantage helped set the tone for the Bobcats.
Ignacio (10-3, 8-0 SJBL) led Norwood 20-5 after one quarter, as Kai Roubideaux scored eight of his 19 points in the opening minutes. Calvin Lovato came off the bench and scored seven of his 13 points in the opening 8 minutes, too.
But Norwood (7-7, 5-3 SJBL) roared back from a 33-20 halftime deficit and 46-33 disadvantage to start the fourth quarter to cut Ignacio’s lead to only three points twice at 56-53 and 58-55. But two Johnny Valdez free throws and a steal and breakaway layup by Lawrence Valdez sealed the seventh consecutive win for the Bobcats.
Cole McCaw scored 11 points in the win.
Sayre Stropko led Norwood with 19 points thanks to five made 3-pointers. Big man Kade Brantingham scored 16 points and went 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Up next for the Bobcats is a big stage game against Durango at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Whalen Gymnasium at Fort Lewis College.
WrestlingThe Durango Demons came away empty handed at the Class 4A/5A Southwestern League Duals meet Saturday in Grand Junction.
DHS lost all four duals it wrestled, 84-0 to Grand Junction, 58-16 to Fruita Monument, 45-18 to Montrose and 76-6 to Grand Junction Central.
Grand Junction’s 84-0 win against Durango is the highest possible score a team can achieve in a dual.
Durango won very few matches that didn’t come via forfeit. Kaleb McMunn (152 pounds) had the Demons’ best day with a 10-2 major decision win against Fruita’s Ty Walker. He earned a second-period pin of Shaun Stepisnik of Grand Junction Central.
Paul Smogacz (106 pounds) defeated Montrose’s Jacob Padilla with a pin in the third period for the only other DHS win of the day.
The Demons will face stiff competition at the regional meet next weekend and will hope to find a few qualifiers for the state tournament.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
