Sports

The Ignacio High School girls basketball team needed a little bit of time to adjust to two devastating injuries to two key players. Tuesday night on their home court, the Bobcats looked like a team that would not let anything slow them down.

Ignacio (2-1, 1-0 2A/1A San Juan Basin League) held the visiting Dolores Bears to only one point in each the first and fourth quarters and to only two points in the third quarter on the way to a 64-10 victory.

Four days after a tough 38-28 home win against Bayfield (0-4), the Bobcats saw outside shots fall while the scoring duo of Jayden and Laci Brunson was unstoppable.

“We played an excellent game,” IHS head coach Justa Whitt said. “Our main goal tonight was to play a solid defensive and offensive game. We have struggled a bit to get going here our first two games. Tonight’s play had us back to where we should be.”

Jayden Brunson scored 19 points and made five 3-pointers. Laci Brunson made two more 3-pointers and was excellent on the drive, as she finished with 14 points.

Shelcie Gosney also scored 10 points, as IHS continued to look to establish her in the post one year after she had knee surgery.

“Shelcie has been solid and strong. We are so proud of her coming back from her knee injury,” Whitt said. “She’s showing us she’s here and ready to play basketball her senior year.”

Whitt said the team also saw more of its usual leadership from senior guard Charlize Valdez. Class 2A No. 12 IHS will need plenty of that with Ebonee Gomez, a senior, and Monika Lucero, a junior, out for the season. Each suffered a torn Achilles tendon injury in the season-opening loss at No. 2 Sanford (4-0).

“It’s such a crazy injury to have happen and to have it happen to two girls in the first quarter of our first game,” Whitt said. “Both had surgery last week. Unfortunately, that injury is a hard one to come back from and takes a lot of healing. Ebonee, being a senior, won’t be able to return and play again, but she’s here with the team to support them. Monika, we hope she can rehab and be back out here next year.

“It’s difficult because those are two of our top-seven players who have been together since elementary school. The girls still playing felt something without them on the court, and we were kind of off. We have six freshmen now working in to help us, and that’s quite an element of challenge for us coaches to get them to speed when the skill levels are so different. But I am super proud of the freshmen and our sophomore Harmony Reynolds in there helping us a lot.”

IHS will look to continue its strong start to league play at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Ouray.

jlivingston@durangoherald.com