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IHS basketball molding young players in time for league play
Wyatt Hayes helps power the IHS defense at the point of attack. He leads Class 2A and ranks in the top-10 across all classifications with 5.2 steals per game.

Five games into the season, the Ignacio High School basketball team is starting to figure it out.

The Bobcats have won two games in a row after a shaky 1-2 start that featured more losses than their entire last season.

“I think we’re starting to get there. Our defense is clicking a little better,” IHS head coach Chris Valdez said. “Offensively, everybody is on the same page, finally. We’re getting the young kids caught up. I think we’re ready to start league play.”

They open their San Juan League slate at 8 p.m. Thursday against Dolores at the SunUte Community Center.

IHS (3-2) hasn’t lost in conference play since a 60-50 setback on Feb. 16, 2013.

Their previous league loss came in 2009.

Bottom line: the Bobcats don’t lose in the SJL, but that doesn’t mean Valdez is willing to let his team’s focus slip.

“We’ve always had our way with them,” he said. “I think they’re going to come in saying, ‘this is Ignacio. They’re the best team in the league. We need to bring our best.’ I think that’s one of the best things about being one of the best teams in our league, we’re going to get their best every time they step on the floor.”

Dolores has struggled so far this year.

The Bears lost all three games they played in the Thunderbird Shootout at Sangre de Cristo, including the last two by single digits.

Junior Ben Lykins paces Dolores’ scoring at 13.3 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 6.3 per contest.

IHS will counter with Adison Jones’ 14.6 points per game and Wyatt Hayes’ 10.8.

Hayes currently leads Class 2A and ranks seventh across all classifications with 5.2 steals per game.

Finding the team’s strength has been tough to pin down, though.

“Right now, I think it’s really a mixture of our quick guard play and our inside rebounding with Adison and Nick (Herrera),” Valdez said. “Those are really the brightest spots for us right now.”

The Bobcats also have been helped by the development of some of their younger players.

“The freshmen and sophomores are starting to understand the plays,” Valdez said. “They’re running the plays all the way through instead of trying to ad lib.”

That focus will help IHS stay on Dolores and not look ahead to its upcoming break or looming January showdown with Durango High School.

“We need to focus on one game, and that’s Dolores. Once that’s over, we can focus on anything else,” Valdez said. “We’ve got an opportunity to play this game. We’ve got to play at our level and not anybody else’s level.”

kgrabowski@durangoherald.com

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