After learning six players on its 12-man roster would not be available for its state tournament matchup against Custer County on Tuesday because a COVID-19 quarantine, the Mancos High School boys basketball team could have folded its cards and called it a year.
Instead of wallowing in their bad luck, the Bluejays (13-2) decided to make Tuesday night’s contest the stuff of legend, as the undermanned team came together and gutted its way to a 74-67 double-overtime victory against the visiting Bobcats (6-9) to advance to the Sweet 16 of the CHSAA Class 2A State Basketball Tournament.
“Honestly, I thought we weren’t going to have a game at first,” said junior Connor Showalter, who scored a career-high 38 points in the win. “Then I heard we had six players, and I have trust in our guys. I was ready, and I got here and worked with (our younger guys) on our plays a little bit. I knew we could do it.”
While the team’s victory will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the gutsiest in school history, the contest very nearly did not take place after half of the team’s roster was exposed to a student who tested positive for COVID-19 late last week.
Although all six of the players that were exposed tested negative for COVID-19 prior to the game, they were not available to play because of CHSAA protocols that required them to quarantine until Wednesday.
Additionally, the Mancos girls team had to forfeit its place in the girls state tournament because the entire team was placed in quarantine.
Knowing what the girls were going through not being able to play after such a strong season that saw the Lady Jays finish 10-3, the boys were happy to see their season continue, albeit with six players.
“It was like Hoosiers all over again,” Mancos head coach Bob Archibeque said. “We put our five out there and they put their five out. They can’t play six, they can only play five. We played five or six kids for 40 minutes, and that took a lot of energy.”
Among the many impressive aspects of the Mancos victory was the team’s ability to seamlessly incorporate junior Josh Lindner and freshman Brian Veach into the team’s starting lineup in place of star juniors Edgar Hernandez and Evan Sehnert.
Playing extended varsity minutes for the first time this season, Veach and Lindner stepped up by as they played lockdown defense, grabbed numerous rebounds and scored nine points and three points, respectively.
“At first, I was kind of in shock because I didn’t know if it was real or not,” said Veach when asked about his feelings about being inserted into the starting lineup. “Then I realized I had to play good for my team and step up. That’s what I did, and we got the win.”
As good as the Bluejays substitutes were, their team’s victory would not have been possible if not for the transcendental performance of Showalter, who came out like a man on a mission and used his size and strength to control the paint throughout the night.
During a dominant first half in which he scored 16 points and helped his team build a 32-21 halftime advantage, Showalter scored using a variety of post moves while benefiting from several well-designed baseline out-of-bounds plays crafted by Archibeque.
“I knew I had to score a lot, so I wasn’t going to hold back for anything,” Showalter said. “This was possibly our last game, and I just wanted to go all out. I think our team did pretty well giving it all that we had.”
After an evenly matched third quarter that ended with Mancos leading 44-43, the Bluejays began the fourth on an 11-5 run that was highlighted by 3-pointers from Lindner and freshman Kail Wayman, who scored 17 points in the game.
A 3-pointer from the corner by Veach, which came after a beautiful baseline drive and kick out by senior Christian Cova, gave Mancos a 58-51 lead with three minutes left, but Custer County refused to yield and eventually tied the game at 60 after a 3-pointer by senior Garrett Olomon, who scored 13 points in the game.
With time ticking away and Custer County in possession after Wayman inadvertently stepped across the baseline while throwing the ball inbounds, Bobcats senior Wesley Curtis was fouled going to the basket with three seconds left. But he missed his free throw, and the game went to overtime.
During a first overtime period that was highlighted by four clutch points from Showalter that came after Custer County took a 64-60 lead, Bobcats senior Tristin Greenhagen, who scored a team-high 21 points, missed an off-balance jump shot at the buzzer, and the game progressed to a second overtime.
A 3-pointer by Wayman to open the second overtime period gave Mancos a 67-64 lead before a 3-pointer by Greenhagen tied the game, 67-67, with 2:03 left.
Two baskets in the paint and two free throws by Showalter along with a free throw by Wayman over the next two minutes iced the game. And as the buzzer sounded and several Custer County players sank to the floor, Mancos players celebrated near their bench.
“It was a lot of pressure because, if we lost, it was the end of our season,” Wayman said. “We played well because (of our teammates who were on COVID quarantine). We had that on our mind, and we wanted to see them tomorrow when we went to Sedgwick County.”
The game, which will begin at a yet to be determined time Thursday, will be broadcast live KRTZ 98.7 FM and will include all of the players on the Bluejays roster, whose COVID-19 quarantine will end Wednesday.
And instead of having to watch the game and cheer on their teammates from Mancos’ Facebook Live stream, the boys will once again put on their jerseys and try to help their undoubtedly fatigued brethren try to reach the Great 8.
“Our players wanted to bring their brothers back in the fold,” Archibeque said. “For them to sit out and not get the chance to play, that is not how we wanted to end the season. We’re going to end the season together.”
