Six quick points by sophomore guard/forward Cayson Burcham kept the Ignacio boys’ comeback hopes alive Tuesday night, but visiting Montezuma-Cortez’s 14-point pad proved too much to deflate within the game’s remaining 5:36.
When time expired, the Panthers upped their lead to an impressive 16 points in prevailing 77-61. MCHS improved to 11-4 overall and 3-1 3A/4A Intermountain with the win. Bayfield fell to 7-8 overall and 0-4 IML with the loss.
“We had some lapses, but most of the time we were playing pretty good D,” said M-CHS head coach Michael Hall. “And Ignacio played great tonight; they’re a physical team, but our boys just stepped up to their challenge and I think we answered what they wanted to bring to us. Knocked down big shots and moved the ball very well tonight.”
Right from the outset, it seemed that whenever the Bobcats made a move on the scoreboard, the Panthers had a response – and showed that might be the case during the very first minute. Ignacio’s D.J. Hendren and Trace Crane each emphatically blocked one of 4A M-CHS’ first two shots, but after Crane was called for a shooting foul on the latter, then was hit with a technical foul for questioning the ruling, M-CHS senior guard Tay Wheat cashed four consecutive free throws.
Taking a feed from junior guard Ambrose Valdez, Burcham brought the 3A ’Cats back to 15-9 with a bucket and 2:25 left in the first quarter, only to see Wheat drain a 3-pointer off an assist from senior guard Caidin Leonard. IHS junior Sonny Flores struck back with a trey set up by senior reserve Marquise Cibrian, but the Panthers answered by going on a 7-0 spree.
Down 25-12, Ignacio began the second quarter with senior Charley Pargin assisting on a Burcham basket, then netting a transition layup of his own and Valdez turning a steal into another two points – cutting the guests’ lead to 27-18. But helped by a trey by junior reserve Jaris McDonald, Montezuma-Cortez went on an 8-0 run.
Crane would bury a late three, only to see Leonard drain one at the other end, increasing M-CHS’ lead back up to 43-27 with 1:05 left until halftime – which began with the Panthers up 43-29.
The Bobcats managed to claw back to as close as seven points during the third quarter, with a Burcham triple closing the gap to 47-40, and a Valdez putback deuce making the score 54-47, but a three-ball by sophomore Trey Hall rebuilt the visitors’ lead to 63-47 going into the fourth and final frame.
Ending up 5-of-8 from the free-throw line, Wheat totaled a game-high 18 points. Leonard one-upped Wheat’s three threes and finished with 14 points and junior Trace Hartsoe tallied 13. Led by sophomore Conner Rosenbaugh’s ten points and freshman Ah-dae Lang’s eight, M-CHS won the bench battle 26-12.
Burcham ended up with 15 points to pace Ignacio, and Pargin totaled 12. Crane registered 11 points, while Valdez and Flores each scored seven and Hendren four. At the charity stripe, the Bobcats finished 11-of-14 and the Panthers 12-of-24.
Montezuma-Cortez will next host 3A Monte Vista (8-4, 1-2) on Friday while Ignacio will visit 4A Alamosa (2-12, 0-4).
M-CHS girls suffer sixth straight loss
Somehow able to withstand Montezuma-Cortez senior guard Taylor Whited’s opening and closing onslaughts, Ignacio’s girls came out on top Tuesday evening, 44-37.
Nailing two 3-pointers and totaling eight points in the first quarter, then booking another trey and seven points in the fourth, Whited ended up with a game-high 20 points before fouling out during the final frame inside IHS Gymnasium.
But with senior guard Marissa Olguin sinking two triples and making four of eight free throws during the third quarter, the Bobcats maintained the pace of their game-shifting rally sparked during the second stanza, when IHS pressed ahead and took a 22-19 lead back to their locker room at halftime.
All told, Ignacio (6-8 overall, 2-2 3A/4A Intermountain) outscored M-CHS 19-6 during the third quarter – more or less capped by a technical foul called against M-CHS senior Reyaunna Jones with 0:10.7 left – and powered into the home stretch up by a daunting 16 points, 41-25.
Hoping to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat, Montezuma-Cortez (3-10, 0-4 IML) stayed in the fight by making seven of nine FTs – the team finished 8-of-12 overall but had little production from the field after Whited’s exit.
Junior guard Keeley Clarke also fouled out, as did Jones, senior Shaylynn Bia and senior Kayden Lee.
Olguin, meanwhile, finished with an Ignacio-high 13 points. Junior guard Alyssa Atencio netted a three and totaled seven points during IHS’ second-quarter surge and ended up tallying nine.
IHS will travel on Friday to Alamosa (9-5, 2-2 IML) and remain in the San Luis Valley to visit Monte Vista the next day. M-CHS will host MVHS (7-5, 1-2) on Friday.
