The Durango High School boys basketball team snapped a four-game losing skid as it won 55-48 against Englewood in the first round of the Mitchell Tournament on Thursday night in Colorado Springs.
Durango (3-4) was led by senior Al Hurworth, who finished with 24 points, while fellow senior Cullen Robinette had eight points.
Head coach Alan Batiste said his team got back to playing “simplified basketball.”
“We were hurting for a win,” Batiste said. “We simplified our offensive game a lot this week in practice, and we also really emphasized getting the ball in the paint. Heading into this tournament, we knew we’d see some athletic teams. They could see what they’re capable of doing, and we played disciplined basketball.”
The Demons led 50-39 at the end of the third quarter, but Englewood (2-2) crept back into the game with a half-court press while Durango failing to make the most of free throw situations, as they went 2-of-10 in the quarter. Durango did enough to hang on.
“We basically gave our guys a strict diet of our offensive game on the basketball court,” Batiste said. “We passed the ball a minimum of seven times per possession, were in no rush to fire up bad shots and were just really disciplined. I hope to do that the rest of the tournament and beyond.”
Durango will take on host Mitchell (1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Mitchell High School.
The Ignacio boys basketball team was unable to recover from a rough shooting night, and a previously winless Kirtland Central team trounced the Bobcats 79-40 on Thursday night at IHS.
IHS head coach Chris Valdez said his side was unable to find baskets in the first quarter. IHS also was without starters Ocean Hunter and Brady McCaw.
“We ran into a really good Kirtland team, despite what their record said,” Valdez said. “We missed some key guys tonight, and it hurt us. We missed several layups early that could have got us going. Our zone defense was also not as effective as usual, and they shot lights out.”
Heading into the game, the Broncos (1-3) had made a total of 11 3-pointers in three games. They made seven Thursday night. By the end of the first quarter, Kirtland led 26-5 and never looked back.
“Going forward, we have to get better on defense, and I think we will be playing a lot more man,” Valdez said. “Tonight just wasn’t our night, but we’re hoping to rebound on Saturday.”
The Bobcats (1-3) were led by sophomore power forward Bryce Finn, who finished with 23 points.
IHS will host Cedaredge at noon Saturday at Ignacio High School.
The Ignacio wrestling team got its first team win of the season, as it defeated both Del Norte and Dolores Thursday night at the Del Norte triangular.
The Bobcats had their most contested match of the night against the hosts and won 34-13 behind three pins in the match.
At the 132-pound weight class, Hunter Robbins pinned Brett Worz at the 1:59 mark of the first period. The two other pins came from Dustin Sanchez (170) as he pinned Fischer Jones in the second period, while Cesar Pedregon (195) also pinned Preston Terrell at the 1:22 mark in the first period. The Bobcats picked up forfeit wins at 225 and 285 weight classes, and lost just once when Isaac Welker was pinned in 25 seconds by Del Norte’s Malachi Gallegos.
In the other match for the Bobcats, IHS won 48-6 over Dolores. The Bears had two wrestlers who competed, and Pedregon was the lone wrestler for the Bobcats who was able to wrestle twice. He pinned his second opponent, Bryan Escarcega, at the 1:23 mark of the first period.
The Bobcats will host Mancos at 6 p.m. Thursday at Ignacio High School.
bploen@durangoherald.com
