Durango's junior varsity boys basketball team provided just the 11th-hour challenge that Ignacio varsity coach Chris Valdez coveted.
Needing to fill a void in the Bobcats' schedule because of several early-season cancellations from inclement weather, Valdez tabbed head coach Jerry Martinez and the Durango JV. The two teams played the nonconference game Thursday night in Ignacio.
Ignacio, one of the best teams in Class 2A basketball, defeated the Durango JV 50-34.
"That was good. We needed that work," Valdez said. "They have some good guards, good shooters. They're better than three-quarters of the teams in our league.
"They used (their players) well.
"We were just a little more experienced than them," he said.
Micah Odoms scored a team-high 11 points for Ignacio. He finished with seven rebounds and three assists.
Alex Herrera, the Bobcats' big man in the post, finished with just five free throws for points, but he added 12 rebounds and seven blocks.
"They played pretty physical against him," Valdez said. "I was a little disappointed in him, because he just wasn't aggressive enough."
Trae Seibel had 10 points - "including two big 3s," Valdez said - four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Oakley Hayes, who typically guards the opponent's top player, not Seibel as the Herald erroneously reported in an earlier story, had three points and six assists.
"He's our defensive specialist," Valdez said. "He can score, but he's usually so darn tired from playing defense against their top player."
Ignacio, boys and girls, will host Dove Creek in a doubleheader tonight at Ignacio High School. The girls will play at 5:30, and the boys will follow.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
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