Throughout most of the evening on Dec. 18, the Mancos High School boys basketball team looked up to the challenge that comes with competing against an opponent like Durango High School.
In the end, however, the Demons’ depth and 3-point shooting proved too much for the Bluejays to overcome as Mancos lost, 48-42, on its home floor. Senior Vassar Stephens led Mancos in scoring with 15 points, and junior Caden Showalter contributed 12.
Durango was sparked by freshman Anthony Flint, who drilled three 3-pointers during a decisive third-quarter stretch that proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth contest that could have gone either way.
“We were without our starting point guard, Christian Cova, but overall, we saw a lot of good things happen tonight,” Mancos head coach Elijah Knepper said. “We took a four-point lead into half, but we hadn’t played in any close games. I think, long-term, (this game) is going to be really positive for us.”
While the final score did not go the Bluejays’ way, the early moments of the game were all about the blue-and-white as Mancos roared out of the gates on a high-flying dunk by senior Vassar Stephens 30 seconds into the game.
The highlight-reel play came after Stephens intercepted a pass on Durango’s first offensive possession and broke ahead of the Durango defense for a one-handed stuff that ignited the home crowd.
“My coach ... wanted me to gamble on the first pass and go and dunk it to get the crowd into it,” Stephens said. “I just saw the guy getting ready to throw it, and I just jumped out there. The crowd was really into it.”
After Stephens’ early dunk put Mancos ahead by two, the Bluejays extended their lead to 10-5 after corner 3-pointers by freshman Colton Showalter and Caden Showalter and an impressive scoop shot in the lane by Stephens.
Durango players regained their composure however, and cut the Bluejays lead to 12-9 by the end of the first quarter before pulling ahead 19-18 with under a minute to go in the first half.
A layup by senior Hunter Hoover and a half-court buzzer-beater by Colton Showalter after the freshman stole a Durango pass with 2 seconds left in the half put Mancos back ahead as momentum clearly shifted the Bluejays’ way.
“(Our players) were fired up for sure,” Knepper said. “I was fired up with them. We were really excited.”
As the second half got underway and the game hung in the balance, it initially appeared as if Mancos would maintain control as the Bluejays pulled ahead 27-23 with a Hoover layup off a great feed from Stephens.
Four consecutive 3-point field goals by Durango, including three by Flint, changed the complexion of the game as the Demons quickly turned a four-point deficit into a 29-27 lead.
“One thing we always talk about is the first three minutes of the second half and how those minutes go a long way in the game,” Knepper said. “I almost felt like we came out in the second half, and we were too pumped. We were trying to steal the basketball and block shots and gamble, and that didn’t pay off.”
“They had some good shooters, and our zone is mainly based on stopping points on the inside,” Stephens said. “I think we need to be a little quicker getting out to the 3-point line to shut that down.”
Although Mancos briefly pulled back ahead 33-32 after an old-fashioned three-point play by Caden Showalter, Durango never relinquished control and built a 41-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Demons then controlled the pace of the game over the final eight minutes to secure what ended up being an eight-point victory. The Bluejays’ season record dropped to 4-3 after the loss, while the Demons improved to 6-4.