The Durango High School boys basketball team was tested in its season opener and went on a late fourth-quarter run to force overtime, but the team couldn’t complete the comeback and fell to Bloomfield 53-48 Thursday at the Shiprock Chieftain Invitational in Shiprock.
The Demons trailed Bloomfield 42-33 with 1 minute, 48 seconds remaining in regulation but closed the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run and forced overtime when Seth Johnson went coast-to-coast and scored just before time expired.
“The energy level went way up,” DHS head coach Alan Batiste said of the fourth-quarter run. “On that little run, scoring the basketball helped. (Bloomfield) saw we were getting some steals and our energy level went up, and it looked like they got a little rattled.”
In overtime, the two teams were tied 48-48 with 15 seconds remaining when Bloomfield’s Bryce Betoni converted a pair of free throws to give the Bobcats (1-4) a 50-48 lead.
The Demons (0-1) turned over the ball on their next trip down the court and were forced to foul to extend the game.
Durango trailed the bulk of the game. After a back-and-forth first quarter that ended with Bloomfield leading 17-15, the Demons went cold during the second quarter, which allowed the Bobcats to build a lead.
Durango stayed close to Bloomfield and cut into the deficit several times but never took the lead.
“Overall, the boys did well. We had some great, bright moments in the game, but we were making things harder than we needed to,” Batiste said. “With a brand new team learning their new roles, it’s about keeping things consistent from day to day. I think they learned that today and they’ll have it figured out a little more for (Friday).”
Batiste said Bloomfield held a massive advantage at the free-throw line and made 22 of its 37 free-throw attempts, while the Demons never got into the bonus. Part of the Demons’ lack of free throws stemmed from their inability to attack the basket and penetrate the Bobcats’ defense.
Game stats were not available, but Batiste said Johnson and Cullen Robinette, the team’s two captains this season, were Durango’s leading scorers.
The Demons will play Newcomb, New Mexico, in the consolation bracket of the tournament at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Newcomb (1-1) lost to Window Rock, Arizona, 45-42 in the first round.
Kai Roubideaux drained a 3-pointer on the first shot of the season for the Bobcats and about everyone else on the team followed suit, as the Ignacio High School boys basketball team made 13 3s en route to a 94-21 drumming of Dove Creek Friday night in Ignacio.
The No. 10 Bobcats (1-0) hit 10 triples in the first half, with six different players connecting from long range to help build a 54-12 lead at halftime.
“We came out gangbusters. I think we hit eight out of our first nine shots,” Ignacio head coach Chris Valdez said.
“I thought the kids played well. They shot well and shared the ball, and we still had to push ourselves the whole game.”
Lawrence Valdez led the Bobcats with 19 points, followed by Ocean Hunter with 14, Roubideaux finished with 13 and Johnny Valdez added 12 points in his stat-stuffing night. Johnny Valdez also grabbed eight rebounds, had six assists and six steals.
The Bobcats will be off until Dec. 12 when they play at Dolores.
The Ignacio High School girls basketball team had a bit of a slow start, but the No. 9 Bobcats quickly got on track and rolled past Dove Creek 65-19 in their season opener Friday night in Ignacio.
“It was 0-0 through the first three minutes of the game. I think the girls were getting the jitters out and they were anxious to play, but once we were able to calm down, we found our flow,” Ignacio head coach Trae Seibel said.
The Bobcats’ defense set up the offense and created numerous turnovers with their full-court press to keep Dove Creek (0-1) from finding any rhythm on the offensive end.
On offense, Seibel said he was happy with the Bobcats’ on-court intelligence and their ability to find and exploit mismatches.
Full stats from the game were not available, but Seibel said Avionne Gomez led the Bobcats (1-0) with 20 points, followed by an 18-point outing from Larissa Gallegos.
Every player saw action in the win and all but a few scored.
Ignacio will be back in action next weekend when the Bobcats play at the Montezuma-Cortez tournament on Dec. 9.
They’ll open the day against Nucla, then will face Montezuma-Cortez later in the day.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
