Conference play remains unkind to a young Lady Panthers basketball team.
Grand Junction and Fruita Monument visited Montezuma-Cortez High School on Friday and Saturday.
Each game, the Lady Panthers were simply a step or two to slow. M-CHS lost to Grand Junction, 69-30, and to Fruita, 51-35.
We had something to learn this weekend, Lady Panthers coach Justine Bayles said. Well just continue to make improvements and continue to move forward.
M-CHS (5-10, 0-4 5A/4A Southwestern League) was outmatched Friday night by the first-place Lady Tigers of Grand Junction (13-3, 3-0 5A/4A SWL). The Lady Panthers trailed 24-8 after the first quarter and were down 42-14 at halftime.
M-CHS opened the third quarter with more fire on an 8-2 run fueled by seniors Sydney Bayles and Baylee Lindsley. The Lady Panthers cut the Grand Junction lead to 46-27, but trailed 55-29 going into the fourth quarter. M-CHS did win the third frame, 15-13.
The Lady Tigers regained control in the fourth on the way to a blowout win.
Jamie Derrieux led Grand Junction with a game high of 20 points.
Sydney Bayles paced the Lady Panthers with 13.
On Saturday afternoon, the Lady Panthers took a massive energetic leap forward against the Fruita Lady Wildcats (8-7, 2-1 5A/4A SWL).
M-CHS scorched the nets, making five 3-pointers in the first quarter alone to lead 19-10 after one. A quick Sydney Bayles 3 gave the Lady Panthers their biggest lead at 22-12 early in the second quarter.
Fruita would respond.
The Lady Wildcats stepped up their defense and chipped away at the foul line to get closer. Fruita closed the half on a 9-3 run and M-CHS only led 25-21 at halftime.
I was really happy with the level of teamwork that the girls were able to demonstrate in the first half, Justine Bayles said. If youre unselfish in your play, it leaves opportunities for everyone to be able to contribute to a really good game. In the first half, they did a great job. I was really happy with the level of intensity that they were able to play with.
Fruita continued its strong play in the second half, scoring the first eight points of the third quarter. The home team now was behind, 29-25, and now was behind with their intensity.
A Randy Elliot free throw gave M-CHS its first point of the second half to make the score 29-26. But the visitors found the pep in their step and increased the games tempo to a 33-26 lead.
Lindsley got open for an easy layup. But Lauren LaBonde responded for Fruita with a 10-footer to keep its 7-point lead at 35-28.
Elliot made another at the charity stripe. Laura Heaton later got on the board with a buzzer beating, driving layup to get M-CHS within 35-31 at the end of the third.
The final quarter proved to be problematic for the Lady Panthers, as things unraveled. Eden Laase hit a 3, and then LaBonde laid it in to up the Lady Wildcats advantage at 40-31.
Turnovers and missed open looks did M-CHS in, in the end. LaBonde and Fruita ran away with a 16-point win.
The second half, they just came out flat, Justine Bayles said. They had lost the momentum. We had the lead going into the third quarter, and even the third quarter, we didnt get too far behind. But, it just kind of snowballed from there.
Elliot had a team high 12 points for the Lady Panthers, while Lindsley scored 10.
So we come out (of halftime) and were up by four. I think we just came in and we werent excited like we were at the beginning of the game, Sydney Bayles said. We werent excited, we werent pumped up. Then, they started getting ahead and were like, Oh. Its done. We gave up I feel like.
LaBonde had a game high 20 points for the Lady Wildcats.
M-CHS will play at rival Durango (3-11, 1-3 SWL) on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The Durango game is always a good game to kind of test where they are as a team, Justine Bayles said. You know their energy level is going to be high. Theyre going to bring their best game. It will be interesting. I always look forward to the Durango game.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.
