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Bobcats dunk short-handed Trojans 84-39
Herald Sports Writer
In a game where the suspense left early, the Ignacio High School boys basketball team kept the crowd bouncing up and down with a dominating 84-39 victory over Ouray on Friday night.
Herrera, Ignacio's 6-8 senior center, first brought the crowd up when he hammered a two-handed dunk after taking a pass from fellow senior Oakley Hayes late in the first quarter.
Seconds later, he charged up the crowd with a blocked shot to protect the Bobcats' 18-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Another Herrera sequence midway through the second quarter further thrilled the home fans as the Bobcats ballooned their lead to 19 points. After hitting an inside bank shot against the undermanned and shorthanded Trojans, Herrera trailed an Ignacio fast break, collected an errant layup and scored with a one-handed dunk.
The Fort Lewis College-bound Herrera finished with a game-high 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six blocked shots.
Brooks, a 6-6 junior for the Bobcats, kept the crowd engaged with his second-half post play. Brooks hit 10 field goals and scored 20 points as Ignacio improved to 10-2 overall, 8-0 in the San Juan Basin League. The Bobcats are ranked No. 5 in Class 2A by The Denver Post.
“We knew their big guys wouldn't be playing, so we … tried to work inside," said the soft-spoken Herrera, who took advantage with five aggressive dunk shots over the Trojans.
He had 14 points in the first half when the Bobcats blitzed the Trojans to lead 42-16. Ignacio outscored Ouray 24-5 in the second quarter. The Bobcats matched their output with a 24-6 scoring margin in the third period.
The Trojans played without 6-5 Chris Blansett and 6-4 Kenneth Wilson, out with injury and illness.
“I told our guys, I didn't care who was playing or who wasn't playing (for Ouray)," Ignacio head coach Chris Valdez said.
“I wanted (our players) to keep their intensity and play at a high level … or they would have to sit next to me."
The Bobcats apparently didn't want to sit next to their coach as they completed one of their most efficient offensive games of the season in the San Juan Basin League victory.
“They are unselfish, real unselfish," Valdez said. “That says it all about this entire team," he said after the Wolverines' inside passing brought layups from start to finish.
“What a great working effort (Saturday night)," Valdez said.
“Ryan (Brooks) is probably our best post player," the Ignacio coach said, adding special praise for his team's defensive effort.
Hayes, a lockdown cornerback on Ignacio's playoff football team, had another lockdown performance on the basketball court, Valdez said.
“He can lock up their best player," Valdez said. “And that really helps us on offense."
Hayes also scored six points - one of 11 Bobcats to score Saturday night.
Pedro Vigil added eight points in the Ignacio win.
Terrence Whyte scored six. Trae Seibel and Tony Hutchinson scored five each.
Shane Brooks and Shane Richmond added four each for the Bobcats, who finished with 32 regular field goals and five 3-pointers.
The Trojans, who fell to 7-4 in the conference and 11-5 overall, managed only 13 field goals against the Ignacio defense. They hit only one 3-pointer.
Chris Cramp led Ouray with 11 points. Nick Purvis added 10. Eli Holmes scored nine.
The Bobcats will be back in action Tuesday when they travel to Nucla for a 7 p.m. makeup game.
Ignacio will fact another conference doubleheader next weekend when Mancos visits on Friday and Telluride comes to IHS on Saturday.
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