Sports

BAYFIELD - The time management plan almost worked.

Chad Nachtrieb and the Bayfield High School boys basketball team set out to slow down the potent attack of the bigger Bobcats from Ignacio on Tuesday night.

The Wolverines, Nachtrieb said, wanted to speed up the clock and reduce the number of possessions.

They did both.

But the Bobcats found enough time to power out a low-scoring 49-37 victory over the pesky Wolverines before a packed house at the BHS gym.

"We wanted to use our ball control, our discipline," Nachtrieb said of the plan for the tall Bobcats, who feature a front line of 6-7, 6-5, 6-5.

"We wanted to stay out of foul trouble. And we wanted to get inside and, maybe, get them in foul trouble."

They did both.

But the Bobcats, ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 2A last week, used a 12-0 run to open the third quarter and break open the close game.

Ignacio, 3-1 overall, led 11-4 at the end of the whistle-marred first quarter.

Bayfield answered with a second-quarter surge that cut the halftime lead to 19-14.

A 3-point play from Kaleb Zink started the run that included a basket from Jesse McCoy, two free throws from Tanner Phelps and a fastbreak layup from Zach Adams.

The frustrated Bobcats, after a halftime chat from coach Chris Valdez, scored 12 consecutive points to lead by 17.

But it wasn't easy.

"We were so eager to play, too amped up," he said.

"We were way too aggressive at the start. We made stupid, stupid fouls."

Herrera, the 6-7 junior center coming off a foot injury, started and picked up his third foul early in the second quarter.

"All those guys (inside) had bad fouls," Valdez said.

"Shane Brooks ... he was our star (Tuesday night). He came out ready to play. He hit the boards. He played defense. We needed him," Valdez said.

Brooks led all scorers with 13 points.

Herrera, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, scored 10.

Trae Seibel added nine, including a 3-pointer.

Micah Odoms scored eight for the Bobcats.

"We've got a lot of work to do if we want to do anything," Valdez said. "We're playing ... down with our stupidness."

Phelps led Bayfield with 12 points. McCoy added seven; Zink scored six. Adams had five for the Wolverines, 3-8.

"I was encouraged by what we saw," Nachtrieb said.

"For the second game, we played smart. Our shot selection is great. More of those shots will start to fall. These are our two best games of the year," he said.

The Wolverines head to Monte Vista for an IML game Friday. They play at Navajo Prep on Saturday.

The Ignacio boys play at Norwood on Friday before hosting Ridgway on Saturday.

dstrode@durangoherald.com