Something clicked in the third quarter.
The Durango High School boys basketball team led Farmington High School 17-16 at halftime before locking down on defense and heating up on offense en route to a 41-29 victory Tuesday night in Durango.
The Demons outscored the Scorpions 18-6 during the third quarter.
Farmington (1-7) didn’t score until there were 3 minutes remaining in the quarter.
“The gym was just dead in the first half,” said Trent Andrews, son of Alan and Nancy Andrews. “We needed something. This team shouldn’t be in the same gym as us; we needed something to spark us.”
DHS sophomore Lucas Baken and senior Trevor Bogus had just what they needed.
Bogus was pressed into bigger minutes because of Isiah Mayberry’s foul trouble. He only scored four points on four free throws, but most of Bogus’ impact didn’t show up on the stat sheet: Bogus took a charge and helped ratchet up the Demons’ defensive intensity in the second half.
“It was just about effort,” DHS head coach Alan Batiste said. “We knew we weren’t playing to our capabilities. That’s what we got that lead on. I give a lot of kudos to Trevor Bogus for bringing that energy for us.”
Baken, on the other hand, brought his jump shot. He only made 1-of-6 six shots in the first half, but he hit 5-of-7 shots in the second half to finish with 15 points.
“At halftime, coach told me to reset myself,” said Baken, son of Dante and Jessica Baken. “My shot just wasn’t going in the first quarter, so I had to reset my shot.”
None of the Demons’ shots were falling consistently in the first half. They only made 5-of-15 from the field before halftime.
Nate Atencio led the Demons with 17 points in the game.
Batiste credited the lack of offense to fatigue after traveling from a tournament in Arizona on Sunday.
DHS (3-2) turned up its defense after halftime, then never lost its lead from the third quarter on.
Andrews finished with eight blocks in the game, while the Demons only allowed 13 points in the second half.
“We challenged the boys that ‘they don’t get over 30,’” Batiste said. “We always gotta go back to that defensive staple.”
The Demons will have another quick turnaround before their next game. They will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Palisade for their opening game in the Palisade Rotary Invitational.
“The team’s gellin,’” Batiste said. “We’re still trying to find those certain lineups, but they’re coming together.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
