Durango High School was crowned the Class 4A kings of the Southwestern and Western Slope leagues.
Stingy defense kept the score low in the Class 4A Boys SWL/WSL District Tournament championship game Saturday in Grand Junction.
When the second-seeded Durango Demons (15-6) sped up the tempo, No. 1 Rifle (17-4) couldn’t keep up. The Demons trailed 14-9 at halftime, but a strong third quarter helped push Durango to a 35-28 victory.
“We played their game in the first half. We had to speed it up, so we put some pressure on their front court, and Rifle turned the ball over,” DHS head coach Alan Batiste said.
DHS senior guard Dane Mestas led the Demons offensively, scoring almost half of the team’s points with 17.
“Dane had a very big game. It was an overall team effort, but he was huge,” Batiste said.
Batiste credited the defensive effort of the Demons’ 6-7 senior center Trent Andrews for helping the Demons hold Rifle to just 14 points each half.
Durango took its first lead at 19-17 in the middle of the third quarter; the Demons wouldn’t surrender that lead the rest of the way.
After earning the victory and the SWL/WSL district championship, Batiste hopes his team earns some credit when the CHSAA Class 4A bracket is released Sunday afternoon.
“We are the best in the Western Slope. We hope for some respect. Rifle had the top ranking out here all year, and we beat them,” Batiste said. “We are hoping for a No. 4 or 5 seed.”
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