Keying the big win for the Panthers was a standout performance by junior shooting guard Teagan Whiteskunk, who utilized long-range shooting and deft drives to the basket to score a game-high 25 points.
Also vital to the victory was a hustle play by senior forward Cordell Baer that led to a layup for senior Jens Jorgensen and changed the complexion of the game. The play, which occurred with M-CHS trailing 39-32 midway through the third quarter, resulted when Baer fought through three Bayfield players and dove to save a loose ball to Jorgensen for a layup.
“When the ball is on the ground, we’re always told to get on the ground and not try and pick it up or continue to dribble it,” Baer said. “(The ball) was going out of bounds, so I just grabbed it and threw it back in, and Jens happened to be there. I think it was a big momentum-changer.”
Prior to Baer’s hustle play, M-CHS found itself locked in a back-and-forth struggle with the Wolverines that could have gone either way. The Panthers led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, but fell behind 29-24 at halftime after Bayfield seniors Keyon Prior and Hayden Farmer combined to score 14 points in the second quarter.
Panthers senior Jens Jorgensen played a key role in keeping his team close during the first half by pulling numerous rebounds and scoring 10 points. Whiteskunk also found his stroke as the junior poured in eight points in the opening two quarters.
“Tonight, the key was to swing the ball,” Whiteskunk said. “We do better when we do that. We break them down and find the easy shot. We just kept our composure the whole game. That’s all you have to do to win a basketball game.”
While the ability of Panthers to maintain their composure proved vital, Bayfield did its best to shake M-CHS’ resolve throughout the early moments of the second half, which were highlighted by a tip-in by Farmer and a transition layup by Keegan Owens.
Seven third-quarter points by Panthers junior Titus Jackson steadied the ship, however, and after Baer pulled down a tough offensive rebound and scored with 1 second left in the third quarter, M-CHS found itself trailing 45-44.
A 3-pointer by Whiteskunk to begin the fourth quarter, followed by a corner 3-pointer from senior Michael Diaz that came after an offensive rebound by Baer put M-CHS ahead 52-45.
Although Bayfield cut M-CHS’ lead to 52-49 after an old-fashioned 3-point play by Farmer with 3:25 left in the game, Jackson and Whiteskunk each converted four free throws down the stretch, and Diaz tossed in two from the charity stripe as the Panthers closed things out.
“We’ve been working on free throws a lot, because our team likes to attack the basket,” M-CHS head coach Michael Hall said. “I knew we better shoot free throws well all year because we get fouled a lot. (Our work) paid off. Our boys came up in big situations and knocked down some big free throws.”
Top scorers for the Panthers other than Whiteskunk included junior Jackson with 13 points and Jorgensen with 12 points. Bayfield was led in scoring by Farmer, who scored 22 points in the game.
With the victory, M-CHS improved its overall record to 16-5 on the season, The Panthers will now play against Alamosa High School in the Intermountain League District Tournament Championship. The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday in Cortez.
“It has been a long time since there has been a district champ here in Cortez,” Hall said. “We’re sitting in the driver’s seat right now, and I’m excited. We play very well at home, and it’s going to be fun.”
M-CHS and Alamosa have played twice this year with Alamosa winning in Cortez by a final score of 58-48 and M-CHS winning in Alamosa by a final score of 55-52.
