An incredible game came down to the final seconds of overtime between the Durango High School and Delta High School girls basketball teams Friday night in Delta.
Durango claimed a 60-59 lead with 15 seconds to play in overtime, but Marcy Schaal scored the game-winning basket for the host Panthers with 4.9 seconds to play, as the Demons’ last-second play was unable to produce a winner of their own.
Delta, which won 21 games last season and went undefeated in the Class 3A Western Slope League before a state quarterfinal loss to Pagosa Springs, earned the 62-61 win in its first game of the 2021 season.
“Overall, I’m really pleased with the effort,” DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “The bench did a great job. Hopefully, this will give us confidence, especially with our outside shooting.
Durango (1-1) saw a huge game from senior guard Maddy McManus, who had 19 points as she made 5-of-7 shots from 3-point range. DHS shot a remarkable 12-of-24 from behind the 3-point line in the game, a mark that even the best college teams would be thrilled with.
Sophomore guard Mason Rowland added 13 points, while Ana Cuntz, a senior guard, finished with 12 points.
Senior guard Kyle Rowland orchestrated the offense with six assists. Fitzpatrick credited her for finding open shooters all game.
DHS will get the chance to quickly forget about an overtime loss at 1 p.m. Saturday on the road at Telluride (0-1). DHS then will host Class 3A power Centauri at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
