The Durango girls basketball program has been through a lot over the last three seasons. Seniors Lilly Fitzpatrick, Mariah Maestas, Tyler Trujillo and Ellie White have seen it all with their winning versatility. That versatility is now on display for everyone in their senior seasons.
In the 2022-2023 season, the four current seniors were sophomores and were part of an incredible team. Led by longtime head coach Tim Fitzpatrick and star senior Mason Rowland, the Demons went 23-3 overall and made it to the 5A state final four.
Then came the change and adversity for the four current seniors. Rowland graduated, Fitzpatrick retired from coaching and current head coach Lauren Moran stepped into the position for the 2023-2024 season. The four then-juniors had the chance to show their skill, winning versatility and camaraderie on the court they’d built up since playing together at Parks and Rec as little kids.
The problem was no one could stay healthy on the team. Trujillo missed most of the season with a foot injury, Fitzpatrick missed time with an ankle injury and White missed time with an elbow injury. Maestas was the only player to play all 23 games on the 11-player roster as the Demons finished 10-13 overall and lost in the first round of the 5A state playoffs.
This year, Durango and its four seniors have finally been healthy and shown their winning versatility. The Demons finished the regular season 17-6 overall and have the No. 8 seed in the 5A playoffs.
“It's a lot better than last season was,” Trujillo said. “We did what we've been working for our whole basketball careers since we’ve been playing together since we were little. We’ve just got to keep working.”
While the Demons added a great scorer in junior Claire Goodwin, the seniors’ versatility has been the heart and soul of the team.
Maestas was forced to play point guard last season after Trujillo went down, improving her ball handling ability. She has a knack for getting into passing lanes, has a nice mid-range pullup jumper and can heat up on the offensive end. Maestas can play on and off the ball.
So can Trujillo, who’s a great ball handler and can score from inside and outside. She has a level of composure the team needs.
Fitzpatrick is a Swiss army knife for the Demons; she can guard any opposing player and can easily switch with her strength and athleticism. She goes up strong inside, can step outside and hit shots. Fitzpatrick rebounds the ball well on both ends. She can also handle the ball after having more ball handling responsibility last year with all of the team’s injuries.
White usually has the task of guarding the opposing team’s best and biggest post player, who’s usually bigger than her. She’s crafty around the basket with her finishes and rebounds well. White moves her feet well on defense and can switch to guard opposing teams’ guards. She can also step out and hit shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
“Their versatility and their experience,” Moran said about the seniors’ greatest strengths. “The experience they had as sophomores, because they did all get minutes as sophomores … then last year, they had to grow up really quickly and take on really different roles than what they had as sophomores. There were certainly some growing pains with that, but this year is when that has really paid off.”
All the seniors gained something valuable from their experiences on that state final four team their sophomore year. Maestas, primarily playing behind Rowland, didn’t get a ton of time because Rowland never came out. But she saw how Rowland worked hard every day in practice. It taught Maestas how to be more disciplined and take the game more seriously to reach her potential.
Trujillo was one of the first players off the bench that year and noticed how Rowland led. She said Rowland and senior Halle Peterson set an example of what leadership should look like.
Then Coach Fitzpatrick retired and Moran came in for their junior year. It was a transition for Fitzpatrick, who started her varsity career playing for her dad.
“A big thing playing for my dad was he didn't want to act like I was given anything,” Fitzpatrick said. “He really wanted to show that I worked for it. So having Lauren come in and starting under her, it showed my dad didn't hand me anything; I'd have to work for it. But it's a different perspective. We have a close relationship; he can have harder conversations with me about basketball. It's also nice because he understands the game; leaving the gym after the game, he can help me.”
While Trujillo missed most of last season with an injury, it was awful for her but she gained an appreciation for the game and knows she can’t take it for granted.
With all the injuries last year, White learned how important team dynamics and teamwork is. She knows it takes everybody to succeed. Maestas learned to be a leader last year as the only healthy starter the whole year. She doesn’t lead vocally a lot but knows the importance of leading by example.
As seniors, the girls knew this team could be great when they came together in the summer and won many preseason games. Fitzpatrick has developed her scoring in the paint and is comfortable playing down low. White has developed her scoring versatility and leadership. Maestas has learned to use her length to her advantage and has gotten better at handling the ball. Trujillo has become mentally tough from her injuries.
Now, heading into the playoffs, the four seniors are the only ones on the team that experienced that final four run. They remember some of Coach Fitz’s phrases like ‘survive and advance’ or ‘chin up and swag on.’ The seniors know at any time, their season can be over so they need to be present and take every opponent seriously.
The seniors remember how special it was to play in the Denver Coliseum for the state quarterfinals and semifinals as sophomores. They want to experience that again as seniors.
Regardless of where the season ends or where the seniors end up after high school (only White has made her college choice), their impact on the program will be felt for years to come.
“They've been a great group,” Moran said. “They were all very open and accepting of me from the beginning. They're just very easy to coach. It'll be hard to replace them.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
