Nate Atencio and the Durango Demons split the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers for a 57-51 victory Jan. 30 in Cortez. On Tuesday at DHS, the Demons will host the Panthers for Round 2. “It is always going to be a big game with a packed house,” DHS boys basketball head coach Alan Batiste said. “The kids love it.”
Nate Atencio and the Durango Demons split the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers for a 57-51 victory Jan. 30 in Cortez. On Tuesday at DHS, the Demons will host the Panthers for Round 2. “It is always going to be a big game with a packed house,” DHS boys basketball head coach Alan Batiste said. “The kids love it.”Sam Green/Cortez Journal file photo

The Montezuma-Cortez Panthers bring a 7-10 overall record and a 2-5 Southwestern League record into Durango to face the red-hot Durango Demons (10-5, 6-1 SWL), who have won four consecutive games dating back to Jan. 24.

“The boys see how well they can play when the play hard. The culture has changed in the gym and in practice,” DHS head coach Alan Batiste said during Monday’s practice.

Batiste said he believes Montrose is a growing rivalry for Durango High School, but he knows Montezuma-Cortez brings the best out of his players.

“Our new rival is Montrose, but Cortez has been an ongoing rivalry forever,” Batiste said. “It is always going to be a big game with a packed house. The kids love it, and it is probably one of the only games the kids actually really, really get into.”

Tuesday’s game is important for reasons beyond rivalry bragging rights for Durango, with the Demons trying to keep pace in the SWL. With just three games remaining in the regular season, DHS is one game back of Grand Junction for first place in the league and two games ahead of third-place Fruita Monument.

The Demons already boast one victory against the Panthers this season; Durango defeated Montezuma-Cortez 57-51 on Jan. 30 in Cortez.

“Cortez is a tough place to play, and we knew it would be a tough game. We knew we needed to be 10 points better that night to deal with the atmosphere and refereeing,” Batiste said. “It was competitive. The teams competed because they know what is at stake with the rivalry.”

Durango won the first matchup because the team played with poise while moving the ball around and hitting open shots, Batiste said.

To earn a regular-season sweep of the Panthers, Batiste said his team needs to maintain its composure and not get distracted by the home fans.

“The key is just not getting comfortable. The boys have to understand it is about business,” Batiste said. “We cannot get caught up in the crowd back at home. It is easy to lose focus with that. If we execute our offense and defense, we should be fine.”

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Durango Demons

Durango and Montezuma-Cortez will continue their annual home-and-home archrivalry series Tuesday night at Durango High School.
The girls game will be played at 5:30 p.m.
The boys game will be played at 7 p.m.
Breaking from tradition of years past, no tickets will be sold in advance of the game. Instead, tickets will be sold on first-come, first-serve basis, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the DHS commons.
CHSAA, Durango Booster Club and Southwestern League passes will be accepted.
Admission prices are 5$ for adults and $4 for senior citizens and students.
Durango Herald