Mancos head coach Mallory Morgan wanted for her team to get out to a hot start early in its game against Dove Creek on Tuesday evening.
And the Blue Jays didn’t disappoint.
Junior Nicole Hess started the game with an old fashioned three-point play and then knocked down a three-pointer behind the arc.
Her six-point jump-start was followed by a Jessica Gutierrez three-pointer, and then another bucket by Hess pushed the Blue Jays out to an early 11-0 lead.
Hess scored 10 points in the first quarter and finished with a team-high 17, and the Blue Jays took a 24-10 lead going into half.
Four points for Kris Johnson and Madilyn Hankins and two from Kiera Baughman made up the Bulldogs first half scoring.
“We’re just trying to get our offense to move,” said Dove Creek head coach Angie Gatlin. “We’re getting the shots; they’re just not falling.”
The pace picked up in the second half, with Gutierrez taking outlet passes and sprinting upcourt for fastbreak looks, finishing with nine second-half points.
“Jessica reads the floor really well,” Morgan said. “She knows when it is a good time to push. And that’s something we work on: Don’t force it if it’s not there.”
When the transition opportunities weren’t available, Gutierrez would slow down and run the offense, looking to get the ball inside.
“We haven’t faced a lot of man-to-man defenses,” Morgan explained. “So it’s good for (Hess) to post up and work on that, because we’re going to face it later on in the season. And for Brittney, she’s got to get tough inside because she’s my next big body.”
Johnson canned a 25-footer at the buzzer to end the third quarter with Dove Creek trailing 36-17, and then the Blue Jays’ reserves closed out the game for a 47-28 Mancos win.
“My young girls got some good playing time tonight, which is what I wanted,” said Morgan. “Emily Cole has come a long way, and Ashley is coming along defensively for us. She may not be scoring, but defensively she’s stepping up, and so is Emma Most.”
Hess led the Blue Jays with 17 points, Gutierrez had 15 and Brittney Peacock scored 10.
Dove Creek was led by Johnson with 11, Madilyn Hankins added six and LaRissa Randolph chipped in four.
