The Ignacio High School basketball team on Tuesday night filled its lineup with four junior-varsity players after a flu bug sapped the varsity roster, but held off the Mancos boys in the second half to win 55-41 at the at the Mancos Performance Center.
Mancos freshman center Caden Showalter led the Blue Jays with 15 points, scoring 14 after halftime, as the Blue Jays wore down Ignacio.
Mancos junior guard Jake McKie had six of his nine points after halftime, and junior forward Griff Huver scored all his six points in the second half.
Ignacio junior guard Johnny Valdez pumped in a game-best 25 points, including two three-pointers, and led the Bobcats’ defense with six steals. Classmate Cole McCaw recorded four steals and 13 points, including three three-pointers. Freshman guard Keegan Schurman, one of the JV callups, sank a three-pointer trey in the second quarter as Ignacio’s 15-5 lead after one quarter grew to 31-11 through two.
The Blue Jays rallied in the second half, but could not overcome the 20-point deficit, losing by 14.
Mancos (4-10, 2-6 San Juan Basin League) will host Ridgway (2-10, 2-5 SJBL) on Friday night.
Joel Priest, of the Pine River Times, contributed to this article.