BAYFIELD - Business as usual for the Wolverines.
The Bayfield High School girls basketball team, using its patented tenacious defense, defeated the Durango junior varsity 70-51 on Tuesday night at the BHS gym. The nonconference win boosted the BHS girls to 11-3 overall.
"We started the game like we always do ... like it is going to be our hardest game of the season," Bayfield head coach Stephanie Dennison said. "We approach every game that way."
Evidently.
Jordan Sirios hit two quick baskets, Mandy Sutton made a putback, and Lindsey Shaw drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Bayfield its quick 9-0 lead to start the game.
Sophomore Aspen McKeever, who would end up leading all scorers in the game, stopped the run with four free throws.
The Demons worked patiently against the full-court press defense of the Wolverines.
But Bayfield exploited its defensive prowess in the half court to push the early lead to 15-4.
Sirios hit a jumper, Shaw banked in a layup, and Sutton scored off a nifty pass from Lindsey Lind after one of Shaw's eight steals.
The Wolverines led 17-6 at the end of the first quarter.
McKeever opened the second quarter with two foul shots and the first of her two 3-pointers to keep the Demons close.
Durango pulled to within 25-16 in the second quarter on baskets from sophomore Kallie Strode and freshman Raquel Delgado.
Bayfield closed the first half with a 12-4 run to take a 35-20 halftime lead.
The Demons tried to rally in the third on a steal and layup from freshman Brooke Milliet and another hoop from Strode, but each time the Demons would rally, the Wolverines would respond immediately.
Sophomore Jacey Sirios hit two layups in the third quarter for Bayfield.
Then the Shaw sisters combined on a score when Lindsey Shaw stole the ball and tapped it ahead to sister Candace Shaw, a freshman, who hit a bank shot.
With a 16-11 advantage in the third quarter, the Wolverines carried a 51-31 lead into the fourth.
The Wolverines added key baskets from Jacy Miller, Sutton and Jordon Sirios in the final period.
"I was happy with our half-court defense," Dennison said.
"Our press wasn't as intense at it has been, but it was still effective. Again, I tried to focus more on defense, and the girls responded," said Dennison, a former basketball player at FLC.
Ten different Wolverines scored with five in double figures: Jordan Sirios led with 16 points; Lindsey Shaw added 13; and Sutton, Jacey Sirios and Candace Shaw scored 10 points each.
McKeever led all scorers with 21 points, including two 3s. Freshman Abby Surmeier added eight points for the Demons. Kaylyn LeClaire scored seven, and Delgado six.
Bayfield continues its busy week of basketball with a rescheduled home game tonight against Sangre de Cristo.
dstrode@durangoherald.com
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