The Ignacio High School girls basketball team got off to a slower start than usual Tuesday night at home against Mancos but finished with a resounding win.
The Bobcats (13-5, 12-0 2A/1A San Juan Basin League) finished an undefeated league season with a 58-32 win after leading by just two points after the first quarter.
Ignacio was led by Jayden Brunson, who had 11 points, with nine points off three made 3-pointers. Makayla Howell had 10 points, while Shelcie Gosney and Avaleena Nanaeto each had six. Madi Hale had nine points for Mancos.
IHS head coach Justa Whitt started with five seniors on senior night, as some came up from junior varsity to start the game. Once the Bobcats eventually got going, they couldn’t be stopped.
Ignacio’s defense came to life in the second quarter and shut down the Bluejays, as it allowed just four points in the frame while taking advantage of a plethora of turnovers. By halftime, IHS led 21-10. The half was capped off with Nanaeto’s old-fashioned three-point play, which made it 19-8 with 2 minutes, 25 seconds left.
In the second half, Brunson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Bobcats a comfortable 17-point lead, and that opened the floodgates. The Bluejays (2-15, 2-8 SJBL) would not get closer than 10 points.
Mancos was just the second team in conference to score at least 30 points against the Bobcats this season. The other was Dove Creek in December.
The Bluejays will host Telluride, 2-9 in league play, on Friday. The Bobcats will travel to Pagosa Springs, the third-ranked team in the latest CHSAA 3A poll, at 5 p.m. Friday.
