Give Bayfield High School the inside.
Ignacio High School will take the outside.
The 2015 Pine River Rivalry boys basketball game at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Bayfield likely will be decided by which team can best exploit its advantage.
Both teams have been ranked in the top 10 of the CHSAA polls this season, and IHS currently is No. 3 in Class 2A
BHS (8-6) has relied on its front line all season. Senior Preston Hardy starred early, then junior Zane Phelps ripped off four double-doubles in a row.
When Hardy missed a handful of games with the flu, freshman Ryan Phelps stepped in, and the Wolverines didn’t see any dropoff. He’s averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in his four starts, earning a place in the lineup once Hardy came back. Hardy is playing limited minutes and getting his form back.
The Wolverines also can bring 6-foot-4 bruising senior Aubry Brown off the bench.
“They’ve got a really good post game and midrange game with (Hardy). Now they’ve got the freshman kid (Ryan Phelps) helping them there inside. You’ve got the other Phelps kid (Zane) who goes inside and out,” IHS head coach Chris Valdez said of Bayfield’s front line. “I think (BHS head coach Jeff Lehnus) has a good package of a team there.”
But it’s a team that has struggled recently.
BHS has lost five out of its last six games this year and nine in a row to IHS over the course of the rivalry.
“We have to put four quarters together and do what we do well,” Lehnus said.
The Bobcats, conversely, are rolling through San Juan League play with 11 consecutive wins. But they haven’t cruised as smoothly as their margin of victory (28.3 points per game) would suggest.
IHS (12-2) is dealing with an illness affecting several of its players and won a few games without leading scorer Adison Jones.
“We’ve been going through what every team goes though,” Valdez said. “Hopefully we’ll be put back together enough to put on a good show (Tuesday).”
At full strength, the Bobcats feature one of the most dangerous guard trios in Class 2A.
“They are who they’ve been for a few years now,” Lehnus said of the Bobcats. “What they have is a continuity of what they’re doing at the guard position.”
Wyatt Hayes, Anthony Manzanares and Tucker Ward all average more than 7 points per game, led by Hayes’ 11.5. Hayes also leads Class 2A in steals (5.7 per game) and ranks second in assists. The steals total is third in Colorado across all classifications, and he ranks sixth in the state in assists.
“The only way you can counteract size is with speed. We’ve got enough speed at our guard position,” Valdez said. “I think our big guys will take care of themselves underneath the basket.”
Bayfield vs. Ignacio girls
The girls side of the 2015 Pine River Rivalry features two teams riding opposite streaks.
IHS has won seven games in a row. BHS has lost 14 to open the season.
Bobcats head coach Shane Seibel doesn’t like looking at opponents and instead has focused IHS on itself this season.
“Our theme throughout the year is you can only control a couple things, and that’s you, yourself and I,’ he said. “We’re not overlooking Bayfield, for sure.”
The Bobcats will be focused on continuing their solid defensive play and improving ball movement on offense.
The Wolverines know they need to improve their offense.
“I think our struggle this year in any of our games is just being able to put points on the board,” BHS head coach Bri Simbeck said. “I think we get good shots, but we haven’t been able to put them into the basket. I feel pretty confident in our defense.”
That has been the Wolverines’ bright spot. They’ve held teams to 44.4 points per game this season and never allowed the opposition to crack 60 points.
Simbeck hopes the intensity of a rivalry game galvanizes the Wolverines’ offense and leads to the team’s first win.
“We’ve talked about it already. There’s a little history for a couple of us, and the schools have a bit of a rivalry,” she said. “I hope we can get pumped up for every game, but especially this one.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
