The Ignacio High School girls basketball team was automatic from the 3-point line to open Tuesday night’s game against Dove Creek, as the Bobcats made their first five and pulled away early for a 67-41 win to remain undefeated in San Juan Basin League play.
Ignacio (3-3, 2-0 2A/1A SJBL), ranked No. 10 in the Colorado High School Activities Association 2A poll, used its pace and execution to get out to an early lead. The Bobcats were led by Makayla Howell with 12 points. Monika Lucero had 10 points, while Jaden Brunson and Avaleena Nanaeto each had nine. It was the first time the Bobcats scored more than 60 points in a game since January 2019, when they beat Nucla 60-23.
“It was really great to get above 60 points in a game,” said IHS head coach Justa Whitt. “Everybody got a bit of a good look and got in the game. It was a good game all around, and we have a lot to improve on, but it was a good start.”
After two weeks of no games during the holiday break, Whitt said she wanted to send a message from the opening tip off.
“We came out very strong, and it’s been something that we’ve been working on a lot over break,” she said. “We did a lot of good things tonight and will have a few days before Alamosa on Saturday.”
The Bobcats will take on Class 3A No. 6 Alamosa (6-1) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at IHS.
It was a dominant effort on both ends of the floor for the Bayfield High School girls basketball team against Mancos on Tuesday night, as the Wolverines’ defense held the Blue Jays to 17 points in a 46-17 win.
Bayfield (3-2) controlled the tempo and rebounding battle, as the Wolverines used their height with Macee Schulz in the post to earn a win.
“We played pretty strong defense, and we played as a unit tonight,” said BHS head coach Josh Kitchen. “We challenged them down low and made (Mancos) earn every basket.”
While statistics were not available, Kitchen said freshman Riley Campbell had a strong game with plenty of baskets and rebounds. On the defensive end, Brooke Merchant and Madison Wells “played phenomenally,” the coach said.
The Wolverines will have 10 days to prepare before opening up their 3A Intermountain League campaign against Alamosa next Friday at 5:30 p.m. at BHS.
The Durango High School girls basketball team was unable to sustain momentum off of its Rumble in the Jungle tournament championship win and lost in its first game back to Bloomfield 46-29 on Tuesday night in New Mexico.
The Demons (7-6) were unable to make shots and did not play good defense, said DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick. He added that the Bobcats (5-7) had a half-court defensive set up that befuddled his team all night.
“Credit to Bloomfield, they came out ready to play and got after us,” Fitzpatrick said. “We didn’t have much going offensively or defensively. We missed a lot of shots and played pretty poor defense. We still got a lot of girls in off of the bench like Lauren Park and Kathryn Paul, which was good.”
Statistics were not made available.
The Demons will have a week to prepare before traveling to Telluride (2-3) next Tuesday. Tip off is at 5:15 p.m.
The Ignacio High School boys basketball team cleared another hurdle Tuesday night, as the Bobcats cruised past Dove Creek to earn a 72-32 win and remain the only undefeated team in Southwest Colorado entering this weekend’s Southwest Classic to be played at Montezuma-Cortez High School.
Brady McCaw led Ignacio (5-0, 2-0 SJBL), ranked No. 5 in Class 2A, with 18 points, Joe Garcia had 12, Dylan Labarthe had 11 and Gabe Tucson and Bryce Finn each had 10.
“Brady really helped us at point tonight and helped us get going,” said IHS head coach Chris Valdez. “We were much better from 3 tonight going 7-of-17. Still, we need to work a lot on our defense, and while our transition game was good, there’s still more to be done. We needed this game tonight, for sure, before heading into the Classic, because we didn’t look good at all and wouldn’t be ready for Friday. We have to keep focused.”
The Bobcats got off to a quick 19-8 lead after the first quarter before expanding it to 35-16 at halftime. In the second half, the Bobcats held the Bulldogs (2-6, 0-2 SJBL) to 16 points, while IHS poured in 37 more to earn the win. All eight Bobcats scored in the win, and bench players combined for 25 points.
Ignacio will put its undefeated record on the line against Bayfield (1-5) in the Pine River Rivalry game at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the first round of the Southwest Classic in Cortez. The Bobcats will get a chance at the host Panthers on Saturday.
bploen@ durangoherald.com
