If the ball had bounced just a bit differently, the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls basketball team may have exited last weekend with a win.
The basketball gods were unkind to the Lady Panthers however, as M-CHS lost games to Monte Vista and Centauri to drop to 6-10 on the year.
Monte Vista sneaks past M-CHS
Opening the weekend at home against Monte Vista on Feb. 6, M-CHS remained competitive for four quarters, but lost 34-32.
The Lady Panthers trailed 8-7 after the first quarter, but stormed back to take a 16-13 halftime lead. M-CHS led 26-24 at the end of the third quarter.
With the game tied, 32-32, with 18 seconds left, the Lady Panthers gained possession of the ball and called timeout.
A bad pass on the ensuing inbounds play led to an turnover however, which allowed Monte Vista to drive the length of the court and convert the game-winning basket.
Savannah Jacket and Katrina Lee each scored six points in the loss.
Centauri defeats Lady Panthers
Looking to rebound from their last second loss to Monte Vista, the Lady Panthers faced off against Centauri at home on Feb. 7 and lost 40-26.
Lee led the Panthers with six points and senior shooting-guard Nicole Demby scored four.
Head coach John McHenry said that his team’s inability to score convert open shots played an integral role in the loss.
“We got a lot of great looks from the outside, but we just couldn’t hit our threes,” said the head coach. “We executed, but the ball just wouldn’t drop.”
Also contributing to the M-CHS loss was Centauri’s full-court press, which forced the Lady Panthers to commit numerous turnovers.
“We had a hard time dealing with their press,” said McHenry. “They changed it up from last time and we had to make some adjustments.”
With their record now at 6-10 on the season, M-CHS will prepare for a tough stretch of games that include matchups against Durango (Feb. 10), Pagosa Springs (Feb. 13) and Bayfield (Feb. 14).
“We want to use these tough games that are coming up to make ourselves better,” said McHenry. “We would like to win, but we have to be realistic.”