While the final score in the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls basketball team’s 47-22 loss to Pagosa Springs on Saturday was indicative of a blowout, the contest was far more competitive than many fans anticipated, thanks to an outstanding effort by the Lady Panthers.
Leading scorers for M-CHS included senior Mackenzie Begay, who scored five points and sophomore Paige Yarbrough, who scored four. Senior Ayanna Silas had three points, as did juniors Presley Frost and Hayden Leggett.
Pagosa Springs, which entered the game as the tournament’s top seed with a 17-2 record overall, was led in scoring by junior Hailey Griego, who scored a game-high 14 points and came through with several steals.
The spread between the Lady Panthers and the Pirates remained at single digits throughout the first half as Pagosa Springs led 9-3 at the end of the first quarter and 20-11 at halftime. Leggett put M-CHS on the board with a 3-pointer from right corner with 2:05 left in the first quarter, and Frost and Silas both drilled 3-point field goals during the second quarter.
“The key for us was taking care of the basketball and just being patient,” M-CHS head coach Tim Robinson said. “Our game plan was to spread them out and run the clock out, which we did a good job of in the first half.”
Perhaps even more impressive than the Lady Panthers’ ball control offense was the team’s defense, which alternated between a 2-3 zone, a 1-3-1 zone and man-to-man. Clearly thrown off balance by M-CHS’ different defensive looks, Pagosa Springs’ players turned the ball over numerous times as Pirates head coach Wes Lewis voiced his disapproval.
Even with its turnovers however, Pagosa Springs maintained a lead thanks to stellar defense and a handful of timely transition baskets that came after its guards pushed the ball down the court and put M-CHS defenders on their heels.
“Pagosa plays great defense,” Robinson said. “They are an incredible defensive team. They take away your cut, and you get a little frustrated. I thought we did a good job of running our offense; we just didn’t score. We missed a lot of easy shots.”
After Pagosa Springs began the second quarter on a 9-2 run, the Lady Panthers responded with a 5-0 run of their own that began with a runner by Malia Begay and concluded with a layup by Case and a 3-pointer by Mackenzie Begay that came after a nifty steal by Brianna Comisky.
A layup just before the third-quarter buzzer by Griego increased the Pirates lead to 31-20 entering the fourth quarter, however, and a 14-0 run by Pagosa Springs to begin the final frame put the game away.
Asked about the difference between the first half and sconde half, Robinson mentioned second-chance points by the Pirates that came after numerous offensive rebounds at the expense of tired M-CHS post players.
“The difference in the second half was that we quit rebounding,” the Lady Panthers’ head coach explained. “We got tired and we quit boxing out and they beat us on the boards.”
In spite of its loss however, M-CHS players expressed satisfaction with their performance against one of Colorado’s top Class 3A teams and emphasized that their confidence is at an all-time high.
“We just played really good today,” Case said. “We have been working really hard in practice on basic things like making good passes. We just executed today.”
Next up for M-CHS will a matchup against Centauri High School, which will take place in Cortez at 1 p.m. Monday. The winter of the contest will finish third in the Intermountain League District Tournament.
“We are just going to go in and play like we did tonight, play with all of our heart,” Case said, when asked about her team’s upcoming matchup. “We’re going to play like it’s our last game even though we hope to continue on to the state tournament.