{"id":36898,"date":"2022-12-06T21:45:13","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T04:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ignacio-finishes-second-to-durango-at-centauri\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:34:31","slug":"ignacio-finishes-second-to-durango-at-centauri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ignacio-finishes-second-to-durango-at-centauri\/","title":{"rendered":"Ignacio finishes second to Durango at Centauri"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The Ignacio Bobcats break a huddle coming out of a timeout during the Centauri-hosted Mountain Top Classic. IHS went 2-1 at the three-day event, losing only to Durango in the championship game. (Courtesy IHS Girls' Basketball)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

First an incredible season-opening comeback.<\/p>\n

Then an improbable blowout of a Southwest Colorado powerhouse.<\/p>\n

By the time the Ignacio Bobcats took the court on Day 3 of the Centauri Mountain Top Classic, the girls had already endured a tournament\u2019s worth of drama. Ignacio then squared off with Durango in the title game.<\/p>\n

Ignacio reached the championship by clipping 3A Olathe 41-39, then routing Dove Creek, which came to La Jara ranked No. 5 in the preseason CHSAANow.com Class 1A poll, 59-37.<\/p>\n

Durango beat Cedaredge 61-21 and Centauri 37-23 to reach the championship.<\/p>\n

IHS\u2019 run, however, slowed just enough during the event\u2019s final quarter to allow DHS to pull away and prevail 40-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went into halftime down by four or five. We were right there with them \u2013 it was a true \u2018championship\u2019 game,\u201d Ignacio head coach Trae Seibel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIgnacio has a good team, and coach Seibel has those kids playing hard,\u201d said DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n

\u201cToward the end of the third quarter, we were down by four; we were making a heck of a run,\u201d Seibel said. \u201cWe battled as hard as we could, but we ended up losing some momentum and Durango got some easy buckets on us late. And Durango, I give them credit; that\u2019s one of the best Durango teams I\u2019ve seen. I think they definitely could make a pretty deep run in the postseason. They\u2019re a top team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really close, but we were consistent through four quarters, and that got us a cushion at the end,\u201d Fitzpatrick said.<\/p>\n

The Demons, who were the top Others Receiving Votes\u2019 team in Class 5A, led 12-7 after one quarter and 21-16 through two, despite senior guard Mason Rowland \u2013 a Colorado Mesa University commit \u2013 being blanked while defended mainly by likewise-scoreless \u2019Cat counterpart Laci Brunson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been battling since they were \u2026 probably in fifth grade,\u201d said Seibel. \u201cIt\u2019s all friendly competition \u2026 but Laci wanted to guard Mason. And you know, our girls belonged in that game; they earned the right to be there because they were playing as a team. And this early in the season, that\u2019s good for me to see \u2026 continuing to look forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

DHS senior Halle Peterson totaled nine first-half points and finished with a game-high 18. Rowland managed to book eight after intermission, and senior Riley Campbell \u2013 a Western Colorado University soccer commit \u2013 ended up with seven (all in the first half). Durango also went 11-of-16 from the free-throw line to improve to 3-1 overall. IHS begins the year 2-1.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur defense is what really did it for us,\u201d Fitzpatrick said. \u201cWe played good, solid defense all three games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before getting hurt in the third quarter, senior Harmony Reynolds registered an IHS-best seven points. Junior post-mate Solymar Cosio totaled six points, while Brunson, sophomore Marissa Olguin and sophomore DaLaney Wesner each scored four.<\/p>\n

Reynolds and junior Darlyn Mendoza-Lechuga were voted all-tournament for Ignacio, while Rowland and Peterson were honored for Durango. Rowland scored 20 points in Durango\u2019s win over Centauri.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good to see Harm and Darlyn get those honors, for sure,\u201d Seibel said, \u201cbut they really all came to play. It was a team win, those first two days and even Saturday. I\u2019m proud of all the girls \u2013 it was a heck of a weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ignacio trailed OHS 32-26 going into the fourth quarter and the Bobcats found themselves down by more than a dozen before rallying to swipe a two-point victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnded up getting in some foul trouble as a team, and Olathe \u2026 ended up going up by 13,\u201d Seibel said. \u201cAnd, with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter, we ended up making a heck of a run \u2013 it was one of the best comebacks I\u2019ve ever been a part of; the girls just showed no quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reynolds scored 20 points in the win, and Cosio nine. Brunson and Mendoza-Lechuga each contributed six.<\/p>\n

Able to build a 31-20 halftime lead on Dove Creek, IHS rolled into the fourth quarter ahead 44-26 and never really let up in prevailing by 22 points.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt one point in the fourth quarter, with like 1:30 to go, we were up by 25 on them!\u201d Seibel said. \u201cOur girls were amazing, came to play, and really \u2026 proved to themselves that \u2026 when they play together, they play smart and can do some great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reynolds hit two three-pointers in the first quarter and finished a game-high 22. Cosio added 12, and Mendoza-Lechuga chipped in 11. The \u2019Cats were vicious from the foul line, shooting 23-35 (Olguin 5-6, Reynolds 4-6, Cosio 4-6, Mendoza-Lechuga 7-11).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a good game plan: Go inside and attack the basket really well against Dove Creek\u2019s bigs, get them into foul trouble,\u201d Seibel said. \u201cAnd we did; we got them into big-time foul trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ignacio and Durango boys go 1-2 in Centauri<\/div>\n

Unable to follow up on their first-day rout of 3A Olathe, Ignacio\u2019s boys slipped to 1-2 overall after enduring a 47-44 heartbreaker against former San Juan Basin League brethren Dove Creek, ranked No. 3 in Class 1A, and then a 62-49 loss to 3A Cedaredge in the third-place game.<\/p>\n

After a dead-even 19-19 second quarter left CHS leading 32-26 going into halftime, the Bobcats won the third quarter 12-10, but Cedaredge recovered to take the fourth quarter, 20-11, to place third.<\/p>\n

Durango also played Cedaredge and led by as many as 16 points, but the Bruins rallied to win the game, 60-58. \u201cWe were up the whole game, but we didn\u2019t execute in certain situations and they took advantage of it,\u201d said DHS head coach Alan Batiste.<\/p>\n

DHS then suffered another two-point loss on Day 2 to Brush, 53-51. \u201cWe were down, but we came back,\u201d Batiste said. \u201cWe just ran out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coach said the team didn\u2019t shoot the ball well on Saturday against Olathe, but the Demons prevailed 28-11 to get in the win column.<\/p>\n

The coach, however, is still optimistic about the upcoming season, especially with a few more football players joining the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the beginning of the season and we only had about five days of practice, but at least we know we\u2019re right there,\u201d Batiste said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be fine, we just have to put the pieces together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior guard Eppie Quintana and junior center\/forward Gabe Cox were voted all-tournament for Ignacio while Jacob Neubert and Noah Miles earned recognition for DHS.<\/p>\n

Quintana led IHS against Olathe with 16 points. Junior Devante Montoya scored 12. Cox contributed nine points, freshman Ambrose Valdez chipped in five and senior Dylan McCaw four.<\/p>\n

Against Dove Creek, the Bobcats led 22-21 going into halftime but began the fourth quarter trailing 36-31. Despite outscoring the Bulldogs 13-11 in the fourth, victory eluded the Bobcats.<\/p>\n

Ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, Centauri bagged first place by defeating DCHS 47-37. Brush pulled out of the tourney before having to face CHS\u2019 junior-varsity squad in the fifth-place game, which ended up not being held.<\/p>\n

IHS will next see action Friday at preseason 2A No. 1 Sanford (0-1), then host 2A Del Norte on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Durango, meanwhile, will compete at Ponderosa\u2019s tournament on Thursday-Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Cody Olivas contributed to the report<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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