Sports

There was no basketball hangover at Pagosa Springs.

"That was one of the best games we've played all season," Ignacio High School boys basketball coach Chris Valdez said.

"Our rotation was good. All the kids off the bench played well. We didn't miss a beat when our reserves came in. We knew this is what we were capable of, and it finally came to fruition."

Ignacio, three nights removed from its highly anticipated one-point Class 2A San Juan Basin League victory at Telluride, defeated its old Class 3A Intermountain League rival Pagosa Springs 59-40 on Tuesday night.

"The kids played really hard (Tuesday night)," Valdez said.

Alex Herrera led Ignacio with 21 points. The 6-foot-7 junior added 15 rebounds and seven blocks.

"They doubled him, tripled him, but he moved the ball outside, played the inside-outside; he dominated underneath," Valdez said.

Herrera held Pagosa Springs' 6-6 John Jewell to two points.

"He had about three or four baskets on lobs from inbounds," Valdez said. "They just couldn't stop him on lobs."

Micah Odoms had eight points in limited minutes. Ryan Brooks scored six points, Trae Seibel and Shane Brooks scored five points each, and Oakley Hayes had four points.

Hayes, as usual, guarded the opponents' star point guard. Taylor Shaffer, the coach's son, scored a game-high 23 points for the IML leaders.

"Defensively, we were really good," Valdez said. "Oakley did a good job on Shaffer ... he's quick, has good shooting ability, but Oakley really neutralized him and shut down what they were trying to do."

Ignacio shot just 8-for-24 from the free throw line.

"If we would've made another eight or nine free throws, it could've been a 30-point victory," Valdez said. "We have to get that percentage up and make those down the stretch."

Ignacio improved to 16-1 overall with just two games remaining on its regular-season schedule: Friday at home against Norwood and Saturday on the road at Ridgway.

Valdez said the Ignacio girls basketball team, which had won three in a row, lost Tuesday at Pagosa Springs.

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