The Ignacio High School boys basketball team is returning home with a trophy, after the Class 2A No. 10 Bobcats held off No. 3 Limon 62-54 to claim the Limon Invitational on Saturday.
The Bobcats (2-0) managed to overcome foul trouble, illness and lanky post players to take home the title. Bryce Finn was everywhere for IHS in the win, as he had 16 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists. Ocean Hunter also had a big night with 15 points and five rebounds. Tristan Thompson had nine points, all on three first half 3-pointers.
“This was a big win for us for sure,” said IHS head coach Chris Valdez. “What it does is it give this team confidence, and they know they’re capable of something. I told them before the game, ‘don’t get off this bus unless you’re confident to play this game.’ You can’t play timid against teams that are taller than you, or maybe better than you and we were good tonight.”
The Bobcats were clutch from the free-throw line down the stretch, as they made 7-of-8 in the final quarter to hold on.
“For us to make a seven hour drive and come away with a trophy, it’s huge for this group,” Valdez said. “We didn’t lay down, we competed and the kids are starting to turn into a family. They’re really starting to believe in each other, and if we can change the group’s mindset from individualism to team basketball, the sky is the limit for teams like that.”
IHS will open its 2A/1A San Juan Basin League schedule at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Dolores (1-0) at Dolores High School.
The Bayfield High School boys basketball team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday, as the Wolverines were strong from beyond the 3-point line in a 46-26 win over The Pinnacle in the final game of the Herman Schayes Tournament in Denver.
Bayfield (1-2) made eight 3-pointers in the game, and connected from beyond arc in the second half. Crosby Edward made four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points to lead the Wolverines with 16 points in scoring, while Cade Calrson had eight points. Kacey Chandler and Quintan Hunter each had seven.
“We got the win today and did a much better job of limiting our turnovers,” said BHS head coach Klint Chandler. “I felt we’ve done a good job of getting better each game, and it showed today.”
BHS will face University (3-0) in the first game of the Buena Vista Tournament on Friday.
The Durango High School boys basketball team came up just short on Saturday night at the final day of the Marv Sanders Invitational, as the Demons lost 57-53.
Durango (1-3) crawled back from a 10-point deficit on two occasions, and fought until the final whistle. DHS tied the game three times in the final six minutes, but could not pull ahead for good. The Demons were led by Jordan Woolverton with 18 points, Martin Cuntz had 15 and Anthony Flint had 13. Flint was also named to the all-tournament team.
“We know we can compete now,” said DHS head coach Alan Batiste. “We were taking our time on offense and the ball was moving, and we looked good, we just made a few mistakes at the end. We had a costly turnover after a timeout, and Farmington got up by four with 20 seconds left, and that sunk us. Still, we’ve put up at least 50 points in three games, so we know the offense is there. We have to keep it up for next week.”
DHS will play Bloomfield in the first round of the Shiprock Tournament at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Girls basketball
Girls basketballThe Ignacio High School girls basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season in a Class 2A top-10 matchup in Saturday’s championship game of the Limon Invitational, as the Bobcats were unable to hold onto a lead against No. 1 Limon, and fell 57-44.
Ignacio (1-1) held a narrow 40-37 lead after three quarters, but the No. 1 Badgers (2-0) proved why they were ranked the top team in 2A, as they outscored the Bobcats 20-4 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win.
“We were neck and neck, just four or five points separating us the whole game,” said IHS head coach Justa Whitt. “We had a mental lapse, a few calls that shifted momentum and we couldn’t recover. It was a great game and the girls played their hearts out ... If this would have been played on a neutral court or on our own, I think the outcome would have been different.”
The Bobcats were led by Makayla Howell with 15 points, Ebonee Gomez had 10 and Jayden Brunson had nine. The only field goal for IHS in the fourth quarter came from Avaleena Nanaeto, while Gomez made a pair of free throws. The Badgers were led by Sidney Hines, who scored 13 points, while Toni Lopez and Mahalie Owens each had 11. Owens scored eight points in the final frame.
IHS will hit the road for its 2A/1A San Juan Basin League opener against Dolores (0-1) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Durango High School girls basketball team had balanced scoring on the final day of the Mountain Top Tournament in Centauri, as the Demons topped Montezuma-Cortez 58-37.
Durango (2-1) had three players in double figures as Maddy McManus led the Demons with 17 points, Jael Larson scored 12 points and Sydney Flores added 10. Larson and Emma Fitzgerald made the all-tournament team.
DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said it was a good team win.
“It was nice to get three girls in double figures,” Fitzpatrick said. “I saw a lot of growth in the way we came out and were able to match the physicality, which is what we needed to improve from the night before. Our defense got after it, and our offense was good.”
Durango will face three ranked opponents in the next week, as the Demons will travel to Farmington on Tuesday, and will play No. 3 Air Academy and No. 2 Pueblo West at the Pueblo County Tournament next weekend.
“We’ll be playing some really good schools this week,” Fitzpatrick said. “Today was a good win, but we’ve now got the gauntlet. We’ll be sure to work on some things this week.”
Girls SwimmingThe Durango High School girls swimming team won its second meet in the span of less than 24 hours, as the Demons dominated the field in Farmington at the Scorpion Invite on Saturday.
Durango racked up 881 points to claim the title, while Farmington was second with 425 points and Piedra Vista was third with 344.
The Demons won seven events at the meet, including two relay teams and five individual races. Rion McKenzie won the 200 yard freestyle in a time of 2 minutes, 6.19 seconds, Mina Willemin won the 200 yard individual medley in 2:23 and also won the 100 butterfly in 1:05.44. Angela McManus fared well in the 100 backstroke with a win in 1:09.49. Finally, Quinn Schmidt won the 100 breaststroke in 1:19.52.
In the relay races, the Demons also had a strong day. DHS’ 200 medley relay team of Willemin, McManus, Rachel Thilow and Rion won in 2:08.54. DHS also won the 400 freestyle with the same four swimmers in 3:58.71.
Durango will compete next at 4 p.m. Friday at Colorado Mesa University.
bploen@durangoherald.com
