<\/p>\n
Montezuma-Cortez High School\u2019s Teagan Whiteskunk knows how to put on a show.<\/p>\n
The senior guard scored 15 points against Durango in the first boys basketball matchup between the same two teams in December. On Friday night in the first round of the Southwest Classic in Cortez, he scored 15 in the first half alone. He would finish with a game-high 26 points to lead the host Panthers to a 64-45 win against DHS to set up a championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday against Ignacio.<\/p>\n
For Whiteskunk, it was a great way to end his career against the Demons, as he has never lost in the four-plus years he\u2019s been playing Durango.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never lost to these guys since our seventh grade year,\u201d Whiteskunk said. \u201cMy brother never beat them. It just feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heading into the Classic, the Panthers (5-3) had lost three consecutive games. In front of a raucous home crowd in their home opener, Whiteskunk and his teammates delivered an impressive offensive performance to top the Demons (6-6) for the second time this season.<\/p>\n
Cortez head coach Mike Hall was impressed with Whiteskunk\u2019s off-the-ball movement. He knew the Demons would guard his star close all night. When Whiteskunk wasn\u2019t scoring, he was influencing the game with key assists and smart decisions to keep the offense flowing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI liked the way (Teagan) was moving without the ball tonight,\u201d Hall said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been working on that because guys faceguard him because they know he is a scorer. To see him penetrate and pass it and get the ball back and knock his shots down was great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cortez also got big contributions from Titus Jackson, who was its second leading scorer with 13 points. Blake Keetch added eight points.<\/p>\n
Durango was led by Martin Cuntz, who scored 16 points, while Jordan Woolverton had 12. Sophomore sharpshooter Anthony Flint had a quiet night with five points, which all came in the first half.<\/p>\n
In the first quarter, it was a defensive battle, as both teams struggled to get into rhythm. Cortez jumped out to a 6-2 lead before Flint made his only 3-pointer of the night with 45 seconds remaining in the quarter to give the Demons a 7-6 lead after the opening frame.<\/p>\n
In the second quarter, the Panthers got out to nine-point lead at 20-11 behind 3-point shooting and easy baskets inside. The Panthers led 29-17 at halftime.<\/p>\n
For Durango head coach Alan Batiste, the second quarter showcased the Demons\u2019 Achilles heel: stopping backdoor cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a nemesis all season,\u201d Batiste said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got three or four guys on the ball hard and then one guy\u2019s watching. We have to get that defense fixed, quick, ASAP.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cuntz echoed Batiste\u2019s sentiments, and thought the second-quarter defense was what ultimately helped Cortez get over the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think personally, as a team, we weren\u2019t really working as a unit like we usually do,\u201d he said. \u201cOur help-side defense was kind of off tonight, and we missed a lot of easy shots.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the third quarter, the Demons came out strong with a quick 7-0 run to cut the deficit to five at 29-24, which forced Hall to spend an early timeout.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just told them they needed to slow down a little bit,\u201d Hall said. \u201cThey were trying to do things on their own, but once we slowed the ball down and got back in our offense, things improved.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Panthers would regroup after the timeout, and they would go on a 7-0 run of their own to make it 36-24. Jackson scored two timely baskets to extend the lead back to double digits.<\/p>\n
Durango cut it down to 41-33 after Sam Johnson hit a 3-pointer with under a minute remaining in the quarter. But it was the play of junior Joshua Chupp that helped the Panthers control the remainder of the game.<\/p>\n
With under 10 seconds remaining in the third, Chupp drove to the lane, made a sizzling pass to Travis Beeson while falling out of bounds, and Beeson finished the layup. On the ensuing inbound pass, Chupp stole the ball, was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws, and M-CHS led 44-33.<\/p>\n
In the fourth, Woolverton tried to get the Demons back in the game but missed a would-be emphatic dunk, and Cuntz was called for traveling violations on back-to-back possessions that sealed DHS\u2019 fate.<\/p>\n
After a third-quarter lull, Whiteskunk got hot again and added eight more points, including a 3-pointer with under two minutes remaining to get him over 25 points on the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have two dynamic players over there, Titus and Whiteskunk, and if you don\u2019t lock those guys down, you\u2019re not going to win many games against them,\u201d Woolverton said. \u201cThey both went off for double digits. They\u2019re tough to guard.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Bayfield (1-7) will meet Durango in the third-place game at 1 p.m. Batiste said that while the Wolverines\u2019 record is poor, the Demons still have to keep their focus up. The Demons are 1-2 against the Wolverines in the previous three Classics.<\/p>\n
\u201c (Tomorrow) will be big,\u201d Batiste said. \u201cWe lost tonight, but the good thing about this tournament is that we get a chance to play tomorrow. They\u2019re not a rival, but they\u2019re the little brother school. These guys all know each other, and it\u2019s good to get a little rivalry between the peers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montezuma-Cortez will play Ignacio (6-0) at 3 p.m. for the championship and will look to extend its winning streak against Ignacio to four consecutive in Classic games.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to stop (Ignacio\u2019s) shooting,\u201d Hall said. \u201cI was watching them shoot during the Bayfield game, and they were on fire. We have to step out and stop their 3s and play the style of basketball that we like to play.\u201d<\/p>\n