Durango High School girls basketball head coach Tim Fitzpatrick talks with his team during a timeout while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School girls celebrate a victory over Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Emma Fitzgerald of Durango High School goes for a rebound while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Kyle Rowland of Durango High School passes the ball off while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Tayler Dossey of Durango High School goes for a rebound while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School girls basketball head coach Tim Fitzpatrick talks with his team during a timeout while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Jordan Woolverton of Durango High School player goes for a rebound while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Al Hurworth of Durango High School puts up a shot over Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Cullen Robinette of Durango High School puts up a shot over Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Lance Kemp of Durango High School gets hit in the face by a Grand Junction High School player on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Clay Seibel of Durango High School puts up a shot over Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Anthony Flint of Durango High School puts up a shot over Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Jordan Woolverton of Durango High School goes for a rebound against a Grand Junction High School player on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Martin Cuntz of Durango High School battles under the net while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Emma Fitzgerald of Durango High School lays up a shot while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Sydney Flores of Durango High School fights for a rebound while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Emma Fitzgerald of Durango High School lays up a shot while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Maddy McManus of Durango High School puts up a shot while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Emma Hackett of Durango High School puts up a shot while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Emma Fitzgerald of Durango High School goes for a rebound while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Tayler Dossey of Durango High School goes for a rebound while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Emma Fitzgerald of Durango High School fights for a lose ball while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Kyle Rowland of Durango High School passes the ball off while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Danielle Lee of Durango High School drives the ball while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Tayler Dossey of Durango High School drives the ball while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School girls basketball head coach Tim Fitzpatrick hive-fives his assistant coaches as the clock winds down with a victory over Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School girls celebrate a victory over Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango High School girls basketball senior point guard Emma Hackett was pushing the pace in a transition opportunity Friday night against Grand Junction, when she instinctively pulled up, waited a split second and made a bounce pass to a trailing Tayler Dossey, who finished the layup. The Tigers called a timeout and the Demon Dome stood in appreciation of great teamwork.
The senior connection was strong, particularly down the stretch, as all three seniors, including Danielle Lee, got involved in the action as the Demons got their fourth consecutive win, 34-27.
The Demons (11-12, 3-6 5A/4A Southwestern League) were all smiles after the game, thanks to a stifling defensive effort down the stretch behind head coach Tim Fitzpatrick’s “junk defense.”
“They’ve got some really talented players on that team, and we were really trying to take (Mackenzie) Younker away and make somebody else beat us,” Fitzpatrick said. “We put in a little quirky defense that we put in today, actually, since we didn’t practice yesterday, we used that for a lot of the game and the kids responded. We’ve used it before and it’s an effective defense to use again in the future.”
Dossey led the way for the Demons with 15 points, while junior Emma Fitzgerald had six, which included a key layup to put the Demons up five with 50 seconds remaining.
“Emma, man, the heart of her is huge considering she’s not physically a very big kid,” Fitzpatrick said. “Her heart is big and you saw that down the stretch. She made big plays for us from the big basket to the awareness on defense. She was the same way in Montrose the other night, and it was just amazing.”
The Tigers (16-7, 5-3 SWL) showed plenty of fight behind Younker, as she scored 11 points, but head coach Sam Provenza said it was not enough in the end.
“We worked so hard to get it tied up, but we couldn’t push it over the top,” Provenza said. “Durango’s defense was so good; we were prepared, and we knew they’d come out in a press or the trap, and Mackenzie has been doubled and triple (teamed) all year long, and I thought we did OK. We moved the ball pretty well, but I’m not sure if we lost, or the clock just ran out, maybe both.”
Durango took a 16-9 lead at halftime, and Provenza said his team needed to be more precise in their passing and shot selection.
“It’s so tough to win when you score under 10 points at half,” Provenza said. “Credit Durango. They fought hard, and that second half was great, but time just ran out.”
Emma Fitzgerald of Durango High School lays up a shot while playing Grand Junction High School on Friday night at DHS.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Down the stretch, Durango got key baskets from Fitzgerald, Dossey and sophomore Maddy McManus. Fitzgerald sealed the deal with 45 seconds remaining, when she chased after a loose ball that was about to go out of bounds, and had the awareness to throw it off a Tiger defender for a turnover. Fitzgerald’s play showed just how far DHS has come, said seniors Danielle Lee and Emma Hackett.
“I’m on cloud nine,” Hackett said. “We’ve really started playing our game, our level of play at the right time, and I’m so happy for everyone on our team. You can tell we’re playing for each other and it’s showing.”
Lee added that their ability to close out games will make them a dangerous team come the postseason.
“Our intensity has been really great, and we’ve locked that in the past few games,” Lee said. “When it comes to halftime, we have to keep going; when it comes to the last four quarters, we have to keep going. Coach has really instilled that in us.”
Durango will await its fate for the 4A playoffs, which begin next week.
“I think that’s the best thing about our team, our ability to keep our heads up,” Hackett said. “Yeah, we had a huge losing streak of six games, but throughout it all, we knew we were a good team and knew what we were capable of doing. I’m glad it’s clicking now, and we’re in it for the long run.”
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