<\/p>\n
With one of his finest hustle plays yet, guard Cole McCaw timed his jump and blocked Mancos freshman Christian Cova\u2019s three-point attempt, preserving the Bobcats\u2019 20-9 lead with 4:17 before halftime.<\/p>\n
Ignacio coach Chris Valdez knew the senior\u2019s defensive play had provided essential inspiration in Tuesday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
\u201cCole tonight didn\u2019t score a point,\u201d Valdez said afterward. \u201cAnd I told them in the locker room (at halftime), \u2018We\u2019re not ahead by 29 (38-9) if Cole McCaw\u2019s not in the game.\u2019 \u2026 He had the big block, had great defense, getting tips and deflections, helping other people get steals.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Ignacio, defense was key as the Bobcats entered the San Juan Basin League contest against the vaunted 6-1 Mancos Bluejays, who are led by big man Caden Showalter. Ignacio\u2019s efforts paid off.<\/p>\n
After McCaw\u2019s swat, senior Kai Roubideaux drove around a screen for two points at the other end, and Hunter rejected a Mancos shot that resulted in a three-point play by senior guard Johnny Valdez, who drew Mancos senior Caleb Yoder\u2019s third personal foul.<\/p>\n
Up 26-9 with 2:55 remaining in the second quarter, Ignacio didn\u2019t let up. Hunter took a Roubideaux feed for an easy hoop, junior guard Lawrence Valdez hit a layup, and Johnny Valdez followed with a layup and a 16-footer.<\/p>\n
Roubideaux then put an emphatic stamp on the half with a one-on-one stuff of Mancos sophomore center Showalter with 30 seconds left, which yielded a Lawrence Valdez breakaway layup at the other end. Putting salt in the wound, Johnny Valdez swished two free throws with 0:03 left on the clock, after drawing 6-foot-4 Showalter\u2019s second foul.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew that they were going to be tough,\u201d coach Valdez said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShowalter would get his \u2026 especially once we put our younger guys in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Having proved a viable option offensively in support of Showalter with five first-quarter points, Yoder committed his fourth foul with 6:40 left in the third quarter. And though Cova did cash a three, getting the Jays into double digits at 45-12 and ending what had been a 25-0 Bobcat scoring run, the guests\u2019 hopes of a miraculous rally were dashed when Lawrence Valdez coldly canned a three-pointer immediately after Cova.<\/p>\n
With Mancos down 51-20 through three quarters inside the Ignacio gym, Showalter scored eight points against Ignacio\u2019s second team in the fourth to finish with a team-high 16. However, behind freshman posts Dylan Labarthe (7 points) and Bryce Finn (2 points), the Bobcats still won the fourth by a 16-13 margin, increasing their final lead to 67-33.<\/p>\n
Yoder finished with his initial five points, and Cova also managed five. Junior Hunter Hoover scored three off James Lewis\u2019 bench, and senior regular Jake McKie was held to two.<\/p>\n
Three-of-three from the charity stripe and with four thre-pointers to his name, Johnny Valdez booked a game-best 23 points as Ignacio improved to 4-1 overall, and 3-0 in the San Juan league. Roubideaux, who began the game sinking two technical-foul free throws and then assisting on a Johnny Valdez backdoor layup, registered 14.<\/p>\n
Lawrence Valdez totaled 13 points and Hunter eight as Ignacio effectively followed up its 81-52 rout of 3A Basalt three days earlier in the third-place game of the \u201cRumble in The Jungle\u201d at Montezuma-Cortez.<\/p>\n
With only a 56-48 loss to 3A Moab-Grand County in the Rumble, coach Valdez was pleased with the Bobcats\u2019 development.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody has stepped up their game, so I\u2019m real proud of them this far,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mancos (6-1 overall and 2-0 2A\/1A San Juan Basin League) will resume work hosting league rival Dolores (3-4, 1-1) on Jan. 9. Ignacio will battle Bayfield (2-4, 0-0 3A Intermountain) at 7 p.m. on Jan. 5, Day 1 of the Southwest Colorado Classic, hosted this year by Bayfield.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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